Pyridine-2-carbaldehyde, also called 2-formylpyridine, is an organic compound with the formula NC<sub>5</sub>H<sub>4</sub>CHO. It is one of three isomeric pyridinaldehydes. The other isomers are pyridine-3-carboxaldehyde and pyridine-4-carboxaldehyde.
Pyridine-2-carbaldehyde is a colorless oily liquid with a distinctive odor. Older samples are often brown-colored owing to impurities. It serves as a precursor to other compounds of interest in coordination chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Pyridine aldehydes are typically prepared by oxidation of the hydroxymethyl- or methylpyridines.
The drug pralidoxime can be produced from 2-formylpyridine.
The aldehyde functional group is subject to nucleophilic attack, specifically by amines to form Schiff bases, which serve as bidentate ligands. Iminopyridine complexes can be remarkably robust.
Pyridine-2-carbaldehyde is used in the synthesis of ARN2966 [102212-26-0], one of the syntheses of Mefloquine, RWJ-22757 (Mcn-5195) [103729-18-6], & in one of the syntheses of Carbinoxamine.