An Innovative Protocol for the Synthesis of 3‐(Pyridin‐2‐yl)‐5‐sec‐aminobiphenyl‐4‐carbonitriles and 9,10‐Dihydro‐3‐(pyridine‐2‐yl)‐1‐sec‐aminophenanthrene‐2‐carbonitriles

Herein, we present an innovative, novel, and highly convenient protocol for the synthesis of 3‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐5‐sec‐aminobiphenyl‐4‐carbonitriles ( 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d , 6e , 6f , 6g ) and 9,10‐dihydro‐3‐(pyridine‐2‐yl)‐1‐sec‐aminophenanthrene‐2‐carbonitriles ( 10a , 10b , 10c , 10d , 10e ), which have been delineated from the reaction of 4‐sec‐amino‐2‐oxo‐6‐aryl‐2H‐pyran‐3‐carbonitrile ( 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f , 4g ) and 4‐sec‐amino‐2‐oxo‐5,6‐dihydro‐2H‐benzoh]chromene‐3‐carbonitriles ( 9a , 9b , 9c , 9d , 9e ) with 2‐acetylpyridine ( 5 ) through the ring transformation reaction by using KOH/DMF system at RT. The salient feature of this procedure is to provide a transition metal‐free route for the synthesis of asymmetrical 1,3‐teraryls like 3‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐5‐sec‐aminobiphenyl‐4‐carbonitriles ( 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d , 6e , 6f , 6g ) and 9,10‐dihydro‐3‐(pyridine‐2‐yl)‐1‐sec‐aminophenanthrene‐2‐carbonitriles ( 10a , 10b , 10c , 10d , 10e ). The novelty of the reaction lies in the creation of an aromatic ring from 2H‐pyran‐2‐ones and 2H‐benzoh]chromene‐3‐carbonitriles via two‐carbon insertion from 2‐acetylpyridine ( 5 ) used as a source of carbanion.