A practical approach to the direct α-methylation of 1,8-naphthyridines under mild reaction conditions has been developed using simple and readily available DMSO as a convenient and environmentally friendly carbon source.
An iridium-catalysed hydrogen transfer strategy, enabling straightforward access to tetrahydro pyridine derivatives from aryl-1,8-naphthyridines and indolines, was developed. This method proceeds with unprecedented synthetic effectiveness including high step-economic fashion together with the advantages of having no by-product and no need for external high-pressure H2 gas, offering an important basis for the transformation of 1,8-naphthyridines and indolines into functionalized products.