Accessing 1,8-Naphthyridone-3-carboxylic Acid Derivatives and Application to the Synthesis of Amfonelic Acid

1,8-Naphthyridone-3-carboxyl is the core structure of several on-market antibacterial drugs. It has prompted significant interest from the synthetic community. Here, we report a practical synthesis of diversely functionalized 1,8-naphthyridone-3-carboxylic acid derivatives starting from readily available and inexpensive nicotinic acid derivatives. All key steps have been optimized. Furthermore, the usefulness of this protocol has been exemplified by the first synthesis of amfonelic acid.