Bioisosteric replacement is vital in drug discovery; however, substituting core ring structures is challenging. Now, a strategy that converts pyridines into benzonitriles, via N-oxidation, photochemical deconstruction and Diels–Alder cycloaddition reactions, is reported. The conversion of pyridines to benzonitriles, which mimic the properties of pyridines, enables modular late-stage-diversification of drug molecules.
- Reyhan Güdük
- Niklas Kehl
- Daniele Leonori
