Tandem Ring-Contraction/Regioselective C–H Iodination Reaction of Pyridinium Salts

A facile route for direct access to the 4-iodopyrrole-2-carbaldehydes from pyridinium salts has been successfully developed, which undergoes cascade pyrrole-2-carbaldehydes construction/selective C4 position iodination process. Using Na2S2O8 as an oxidant and readily available sodium iodide as an iodine source, a variety of 4-iodopyrrole-2-carbaldehydes were obtained in good to excellent yields. Atom- and step-economy, good functional group tolerance, high regioselectivity, as well as mild conditions entail this transformation an alternative strategy for enriching pyrroles library.