Synthesis of 3‐(4‐Oxo‐4H‐quinolizinyl‐3) and 3‐(4‐Oxo‐4H‐pyridino[1,2‐a]pyrimidinyl‐3) substituted lactic acid derivatives

A one‐step ‘ring switching’ transformation of (S)‐3‐[(dimethylamino)methylidene]‐5‐(methoxycarbonyl)tetrahydrofuran‐2‐one (4) with 2‐pyridineacetic acid derivatives (5–7) and 2‐aminopyridines (8, 9) afforded the corresponding 3‐(4‐oxo‐4H‐quinolizinyl‐3)‐ (15–17) and 3‐(4‐oxo‐4H‐pyridino[1,2‐a]pyrimidinyl‐3)‐2‐hydroxypropanoates (18, 19), respectively.