Figure 1. prepared in either of two ways. Method A involved formation of 4-hydrazino-3- nitropyridine (4) and subsequent reaction with an acid chloride (5). Method B utilized direct reaction of 3 with an acylhydrazine (6). The choice of route A or B depended upon the commercial availability of 5 and 6. The nitro group in 7 was rapidly reduced to the amine 8 over a palladium catalyst. Ring closure was then effected with ethanolic HC1 to give the ...