Synthesis of 3-Substituted 2-Arylpyridines via Cu/Pd-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Picolinic Acids with (Hetero)Aryl Halides

A decarboxylative cross-coupling of 3-substituted picolinic acids with (hetero)aryl halides is presented. In the presence of catalytic Cu2O and Pd(1,5-cyclooctadiene)Cl2 with 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl as the ligand, both electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl bromides and chlorides as well as heteroaryl bromides were successfully coupled with various picolinate salts under mild conditions in yields up to 96%. This protocol provides an efficient entry to 2-(hetero)arylpyridines, an attractive substance class in drug discovery.