A new series of unsubstituted and substituted pyridinium salts bearing a 4-oxothiazolidinyl moiety has been prepared by an efficient rearrangement of 2-(1-bromoalkylidene)thiazolidin-4-ones. The process is based on three steps, namely carbon-bromine cleavage, bromine transfer, and substitution, each induced by pyridine or its derivatives, acting as base and reactant.
pyridinium salts - 4-oxothiazolidine - rearrangement - carbon-bromine cleavage - bromine transfer - nucleophilic substitution