Pyridine - Definition and Overview

Pyridine is a clear liquid with a strong and very unpleasant odor that is used as a solvent and reagent in organic chemistry. Pyridine is a simple heterocyclic aromatic organic compound that is structurally related to benzene, with one CH group in the six-membered ring replaced by a nitrogen atom.

Pyridine has an equatorial lone pair of electrons at the nitrogen atom that does not participate in the aromatic pi-system. This makes pyridine a basic compound with chemical properties similar to tertiary amines. Pyridine is protonated by reaction with acids and forms a positively charged aromatic polyatomic ion called pyridinium cation.

See also

Structurally or chemically related compounds:

• Pyrimidine and
• Pyrazine, aromatic molecules with two nitrogen atoms in the ring.
• Quinoline and
• Isoquinoline, pyridine and a benzene ring fused together.
• Aniline, benzene with an attached NH₂ group.
• Simple aromatic rings