A facile and efficient synthesis of substituted pyridin-2(1H)-ones has been developed by the reaction of readily available 1-carbamoyl-1-[3-(dimethylamino)propenoyl]cyclopropanes with phosphoryl chloride or phosphorus tribromide in dichloromethane at room temperature. cyclization - cyclopropanes - enaminones - pyridin-2(1H)-ones- ring opening