The variation in the acidity of a methyl group as a function of its position on the pyridine ring is substantial. While the weaker acidity of 3-picoline is expected on the basis of its relative inertness to base-catalyzed condensations' it is surprising that 4-picoline is significantly more acidic than the 2-isomer. The difference could be the result of a repulsive dipolar interaction between the lithiomethyl group and the lone pair on nitrogen or may simply ...