Regioselective Synthesis of 3-Hydroxy-4,5-alkyl-Substituted Pyridines Using 1,3-Enynes as Alkynes Surrogates

The poor regioselectivity of the [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 3-azetidinones with internal alkynes bearing two alkyl substituents via nickel-catalyzed carbon–carbon activation is addressed using 1,3-enynes as substrates. The judicious choice of substitution on the enyne enables complementary access to each regioisomer of 3-hydroxy-4,5-alkyl-substituted pyridines, which are important building blocks in medicinal chemistry endeavors.