Pyrimidine reactions. XXI. Conversion of a pyrimidine into a pyridine by ammonia

Although a few pyrimidines have been made from pyridines,l the reverse process appears to have been unknown prior to the examples described below.Heating 5-p-dimethylaminophenyl-2-methoxypyrimidine2 (la) with ethanolic ammonia gave not only the expected 2-aminopyrimidine (2a) but also a second product.Analysis and molecular weight determination suggested that this was a pyridine bearing two p-dimethylaminophenyl substituents.The p.m.r.spectrum