Magnesium Nitride as a Convenient Source of Ammonia: Preparation of Dihydropyridines

Magnesium nitride (Mg₃N₂) has been investigated for the preparation of dihydropyridines. This is a commercially available, bench-stable solid that generates ammonia upon treatment with protic solvents. The main features of the process are the facile reaction setup and good yields obtained in the majority of cases.