A one-pot two-step microwave-assisted synthesis of N1-substituted 5,6-ring-fused 2-pyridones

A fast, versatile and practical one-pot, two-step microwave-assisted protocol for the direct synthesis of N1-substituted 5,6-ring-fused 2-pyridones has been developed. The present method proved to be effective on a series of commercially available aldehydes, ketones and amines and could be profitably exploited in drug-discovery settings for the rapid identification of biologically relevant hit compounds.