Abstract: | Extension of the Reissert-Henze reaction to treatment of thieno[2,3-b]pyridine 7-oxide with potassium thiocyanate and benzoyl chloride in water-methylene chloride gives a 2% yield of bis(6-thieno[2,3-b]pyridyl) disulfide. Peroxidation of 5-ethylthieno[2,3-b]pyridine ( 4 ) forms the 7-oxide 5 (53%), converted to a monopicrate 5a . Picrate 5a undergoes N-deoxygenation to 4 -picrate on drying at 78° in vacuo, but shows the expected additive mass spectrum of 5 (thermally stable) and picric acid. Nucleophilic displacement of chloride ion from 7-chlorothieno[3,2-b]pyridine (derived, in turn, from thieno[3,2-b]pyridine 4 -oxide) by the anion from ethyl cyanoacetate gives 7-(1-cyano-1-ethoxycarbonyl)methylene-4,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-b]pyridine (82%), stable in this iminodienic tautomeric form. |