Efficient nucleophilic substitution of halopyridines using ethanol as solvent with microwave heating: synthesis of 2-aminoethylsulfanylpyridines

Abstract Aminoethylsulfanylpyridine derivatives are important ligands used in medicinal chemistry, sensing devices, catalysis, and separation science. This paper reports the important finding that very high isolated yields of 2-aminoethyl-sulfanylpyridine isomers and substituted derivatives can be achieved by carrying out the synthesis with halopyridines using ethanol as both a solvent and reagent with microwave heating for short reaction times. Compared to the previous approaches employed for the synthesis of 2-aminoethylsulfanylpyridine derivatives, where yields can be very variable depending on the nature and position of the substituents in the halopyridine ring, the described procedures are more versatile and should be more broadly applicable to the nucleophilic substitution of halopyridines in general.