Abstract 5-Acetoacetyl-2, 2-dimethyl-1, 3-dioxane-4, 6-dione reacts with aliphatic amines and p-methoxy-aniline to afford the corresponding 5-[3-alkyl (or aryl) amino-2-butenoyl] derivatives. Heating of the latter in boiling toluene gives 86–90% of N-substituted 6- methylpyridine-3-carboxylic acids which undergo decarboxylation in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether at 160° C, leading to N-substituted 6-methyl-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydro-pyridine-2, ...