1 Department of Chemistry, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA. [email protected]
Nitropyridines reacted with an excess of vinyl Grignard reagent to produce 4- or 6-azaindoles. Improved yields were obtained when a halogen atom was present at the position alpha to the nitrogen atom in the pyridine ring.