A mild synthesis of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines

The reaction between 2-hydrazinopyridines and ethyl imidates was examined as a one-pot method for rapidly preparing [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines. A diverse set of 2-hydrazinopyridines were cyclized with a variety of alkyl- and aryl-substituted ethyl imidates in good yields. The reaction proceeds optimally under mild conditions (50−70 °C) using 1.5 equiv of acetic acid. The electronic and steric properties of the hydrazine and imidate strongly impact the rate of the reaction. When highly electron deficient 2-hydrazinopyridines were used, the products rearranged to [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines.