Crystallization-Driven Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyridine-β-nitroalcohols via Discovery-Oriented Self-Resolution of a Dynamic System

The study of dynamic nitroaldol systems aided the discovery of a diastereoselective crystallization process through amplification of 2-nitro-1-(pyridine-4-yl)propan-1-ol. The phenomenon was further developed into an effective procedure for asymmetic synthesis of pyridine-nitroalcohols and several substrates were screened to this end. These results demonstrate how work with larger dynamic systems facilitates and increases the likelihood of serendipitous discoveries.