<i>meta</i> -Selective Arylation of Pyridine <i>N</i> -Oxides Enabled by <i>ortho</i> -Diiodobenzene Derivatives as Aryne Precursors

A new method for the <i>meta</i>-arylation of pyridine <i>N</i>-oxides that employs <i>o</i>-diiodobenzene derivatives as convenient aryne precursors is reported. In contrast to the Kobayashi precursors, <i>o</i>-diiodobenzenes are either commercially available or readily prepared from simple starting materials and generate arynes under mild conditions via NaH-mediated activation. Our approach not only significantly expands the substrate scope of pyridine <i>N</i>-oxides but also offers an operationally simpler and complementary route to 3-arylpyridines.