Microwave heating is used for the preparation of 1,4-dihydropyridines and then, in conjunction with UV irradiation, is used for the efficient oxidation of the 1,4-dihydropyridines to pyridines. The oxidation reactions are performed in a sealed vessel using oxygen as the oxidant and an electrodeless discharge lamp as the irradiation source.
A wide variety of 3,5-dicarboethoxy-1,4-dihydropyridines and 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydropyridines are aromatized to the pyridine derivatives by 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) at room temperature and under microwave irradiation. An electron transfer-induced mechanism is proposed for this reaction which is influenced by the nature of the solvent, the nature of the substituents located on 3-, 4- and 5-positions of the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring, and the presence of oxygen or argon atmosphere.
4-Alkyl- or 4-aryl-1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives were oxidized to the pyridine derivatives by tetrabutylammonium peroxydisulfate (n-Bu4N)2S2O8 (TBAPD) in combination with basic alumina in refluxing acetonitrile and also in the absence or presence of basic alumina under microwave irradiation. The presence of basic alumina plays an important role in the reaction mechanism. Whereas oxidation under thermal condition is assumed to occur through an ionic mechanism, ionic and also radical mechanisms are proposed for the reactions under microwave irradiation.
The reaction of acetylacetone or sodium salt of oxymethyleneacetone with corresponding aldehydes has been used to prepare 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydropyridines