Experimental Section S-2 -S-5 S-2 General Procedures All materials were purchased from Acros Organic or TCI America. Solvents were dried in Seca Solvent Purification System. All chemistry was performed in a lab with yellow UV filters on the room lights. N-phenyl-di(2-picolyl)amine (3) was prepared according to known procedures. 1 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra were recorded with Bruker 400 MHz spectrometer and referenced to CDCl 3 . IR spectra were recorded on a Nicolet 205 FT-IR instrument and

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... s were analyzed as KBr pellets. High resolution mass spectra were obtained on micromass Q-Tof-2 TM operating in positive ion mode. [4-(Bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-amino)-phenyl]-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-methanone (4). A 10 g potion of 84% polyphosphoric acid (PPA) was added to a suspension of 2,3-dimethoxyobenzoic acid (1.09 g, 5.99 mmol) in 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 , and the resulting mixture was heated to 80 ºC. Compound 3 (1.65 g, 5.99 mmol) was added to the red reaction mixture, which was stirred for an additional 2 h at 80 ºC. The dark red reaction mixture was cooled to 0 ºC and the PPA was neutralized by adding 6 M NaOH dropwise until the solution reached a pH of 9-10. T The product was extracted into CH 2 Cl 2 (3 × 50 mL) and the combined organic extracts were dried over Mg 2 SO 4 . Flash chromatography on basic alumina with diethyl ether afforded 4 as a white solid (2.24 g, 84.9%). Mp = 135-136 °C. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 400 MHz) δ 8.60 (2 H, d, J = 4.0, H 6-Py ), 7.70 (2 H, d, J = 8.0 Hz, ArH), 7.64 (2 H, t, J = 8.0 Hz, H 4-Py ), 7.37 (1 H, s, ArH), 7.32 (1 H, d, J = 8.0 Hz, ArH), 7.24 (2 H, d, J = 8.0 Hz, H 3-Py ), 7.20 (2 H, t, J = 8.0 Hz, H 5-5Py ), 6.85 (1 H, d, J = 8.0 Hz, ArH); 6.75 (2 H, d, J = 8.0 Hz, ArH); 4.90 (4 H, s, N-CH 2 -Py), 3.92 (3 H, s, OCH 3 ); 3.90 (3 H, s, OCH 3 ).