Application of sodium sulfite to 4-chloropyridine 1-oxide and its methyl homologs afforded sodium 4-pyridine sulfonate 1-oxides. This salt turns into the free sulfonate by treatment with ion exchanger resin. Fusion of this salt with potassium cyanide afforded the corresponding 4-cyanopyridine 1-oxides and their yield was compared with that from N-oxygenation of 4-cyanopyridine with hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid. The same reactions were carried out on quinolines.