The expedient access to bromo-pyridine carbaldehyde scaffolds using gem-dibromomethyl intermediates

A simple, efficient, and general two-step synthesis to bromo-pyridine carbaldehyde scaffolds is described. This direct route involves sequential reactions employing the dibromination of bromo-picolines followed by hydrolysis using an aqueous solution of calcium carbonate. Bromo-pyridine carbaldehyde scaffolds 1–7 were obtained in good overall yield. Bromo-dibromomethyl-pyridine intermediates have been isolated and characterized.