Sequential Ring-Opening and Ring-Closing Reactions for Converting <i>para</i>-Substituted Pyridines into <i>meta</i>-Substituted Anilines

Herein we report a method for converting <i>para</i>-substituted pyridine rings into <i>meta</i>-dialkylamino-substituted benzene rings through sequential ring-opening and ring-closing reactions. The nitrogen atom in the pyridine rings was replaced with a methine group, and a dialkylamino substituent was introduced onto the original unsubstituted carbon atom in the pyridine rings. This process can be formally regarded as a hybrid of the skeletal editing and C–H amination of pyridine rings.