pot, three component synthesis of 2-amino-4-aryl-3,5-dicyano-6-sulfanylpyridines and the corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridines are from readily accessible starting materials is described. Simply heating of an ethanolic solution of structurally diverse aldehydes with various thiols and malononitrile in the presence of nanocrystalline magnesium oxide provides the highly substituted pyridine derivatives