Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with 2-Methylpyridines.

An enantioselective iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution with a set of highly unstabilized nucleophiles generated in situ from 2-methylpyridines is described. Enantioenriched 2-substituted pyridines, which are frequently encountered in natural products and pharmaceuticals, could be easily constructed by this simple method in good yields and excellent enantioselectivity. The synthetic utility of the pyridine products is demonstrated through the synthesis of a key intermediate of a reported Na+ /H+ exchanger inhibitor and the total synthesis of (-)-lycopladine A.