Photoirradiation of 2-vinylpyridine in acidic methanol afforded methyl 2-(2-pyridyl) ethyl ether in a high yield. Reactions in acidic ethanol and 2-propanol also provided the corresponding alkoxyl derivatives along with a considerable amount of 2-ethylpyridine. It was suggested that photoinduced intramolecular charge-shift from the pyridinium ion moiety into the vinyl group initiates the regioselective nucleophilic addition of alcohol.
[Alunni, Sergio; De Angelis, Filippo; Ottavi, Laura; Papavasileiou, Magdalini; Tarantelli, Francesco Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2005 , vol. 127, # 43 p. 15151 - 15160]