Reaction of diketene with cyanothioacetamide: A convenient and regioselective method for the preparation of new 4(1H)-pyridone derivatives

The reaction of diketene with cyanothioacetamide in dry dioxane in the presence of triethylamine gives triethylammonium 3-cyano-6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-2-pyridinethiolate. The regioselective S-alkylation of this thiolate is a convenient method for the preparation of substituted 4(1H)-pyridones and also derivatives of thiazolo[3,2-a]pyridine and thieno[2,3-b]pyridine. The action of 2-amino-1,1,3-tricyanopropene on this thiolate leads to its transformation into a new heterocyclic system, namely, 5H-pyrido[2′,3′:4,5]thiopyrano[2,3-b]pyridine; treatment with iodine yields the oxidation product, namely, the corresponding bis(2-pyridyl) disulfide. The structure of isopropyl (3-cyano-6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-2-pyridinyl)thioacetate was confirmed by X-ray diffraction structural analysis. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 716–725, May, 2007.