The Use of the Comins-Meyers Amide in Synthetic Chemistry: an Overview.

Formylation reactions are fundamental operations in synthetic chemistry allowing the incorporation into a given structure formyl groups amenable to further deiivatization. Conceptually, the introduction of such groups through the reaction between an electrophilic donor and a nucleophilic acceptor (i.e. organometallic reagent) constitutes a reliable technique with widespread applications. In this Highlight, we summarize the effectiveness of the so called Comnins-Meyers amide - [2-(N-methyl-N-formylamino]pyridine - in such a chemistry with vistas to the synthesis of natural products and biologically active substrates.