Multikilogram per Hour Continuous Photochemical Benzylic Brominations Applying a Smart Dimensioning Scale-up Strategy

Direct Benzylic C-H Etherification Enabled by Base-Promoted Halogen Transfer

We disclose a benzylic C-H oxidative coupling reaction with alcohols that proceeds through a synergistic deprotonation, halogenation and substitution sequence. The combination of tert-butoxide bases with 2-halothiophene halogen oxidants enables the first general protocol for generating and using benzyl halides through a deprotonative pathway. In contrast to existing radical-based methods for C-H functionalization, this process is guided by C-H acidity trends. This gives rise to new synthetic capabilities, including the ability to functionalize diverse methyl(hetero)arenes, tolerance of oxidizable and nucleophilic functional groups, precision site-selectivity for polyalkylarenes and use of a double C-H etherification process to controllably oxidize methylarenes to benzaldehydes.

Scale-Up of Photochemical Reactions: Transitioning from Lab Scale to Industrial Production

In the past two decades, we have witnessed a rapid emergence of new and powerful photochemical and photocatalytic synthetic methods. Although these methods have been used mostly on a small scale, there is a growing need for efficient scale-up of photochemistry in the chemical industry. This review summarizes and contextualizes the advancements made in the past decade regarding the scale-up of photo-mediated synthetic transformations. Simple scale-up concepts and important fundamental photochemical laws have been provided along with a discussion concerning suitable reactor designs that should facilitate scale-up of this challenging class of organic reactions.

Merger of Visible Light-Driven Chiral Organocatalysis and Continuous Flow Chemistry: An Accelerated and Scalable Access into Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Aldehydes

The electron donor-acceptor complex-enabled asymmetric photochemical alkylation strategy holds potential to attain elusive chiral α-alkylated aldehydes without an external photoredox catalyst. The photosensitizer-free conditions are beneficial concerning process costs and sustainability. However, lengthy organocatalyst preparation steps as well as limited productivity and difficult scalability render the current approaches unsuitable for synthesis on enlarged scales. Inspired by these limitations, a protocol was developed for the enantioselective α-alkylation of aldehydes based on the synergistic combination of visible light-driven asymmetric organocatalysis and a controlled continuous flow reaction environment. With the aim to reduce process costs, a commercially available chiral catalyst has been exploited to achieve photosensitizer-free enantioselective α-alkylations using phenacyl bromide derivates as alkylating agents. As a result of elaborate optimization and process development, the present flow strategy furnishes an accelerated and inherently scalable entry into enantioenriched α-alkylated aldehydes including a chiral key intermediate of the antirheumatic esonarimod.

A field guide to flow chemistry for synthetic organic chemists

Flow chemistry has unlocked a world of possibilities for the synthetic community, but the idea that it is a mysterious "black box" needs to go. In this review, we show that several of the benefits of microreactor technology can be exploited to push the boundaries in organic synthesis and to unleash unique reactivity and selectivity. By "lifting the veil" on some of the governing principles behind the observed trends, we hope that this review will serve as a useful field guide for those interested in diving into flow chemistry.

Indium chloride catalysed benzyl bromination using continuous flow technology

This report describes the development of a water-tolerant green catalyst for benzyl bromination. The catalyst, indium chloride, exhibits high catalytic activity with a variety of toluene derivatives in continuous flow. Good yields (59-77%) were obtained in all the cases. Improved selectivity was observed under flow conditions, when compared to batch operation.

Heterogeneous metallaphotoredox catalysis in a continuous-flow packed-bed reactor

Metallaphotoredox catalysis is a powerful and versatile synthetic platform that enables cross-couplings under mild conditions without the need for noble metals. Its growing adoption in drug discovery has translated into an increased interest in sustainable and scalable reaction conditions. Here, we report a continuous-flow approach to metallaphotoredox catalysis using a heterogeneous catalyst that combines the function of a photo- and a nickel catalyst in a single material. The catalyst is embedded in a packed-bed reactor to combine reaction and (catalyst) separation in one step. The use of a packed bed simplifies the translation of optimized batch reaction conditions to continuous flow, as the only components present in the reaction mixture are the substrate and a base. The metallaphotoredox cross-coupling of sulfinates with aryl halides was used as a model system. The catalyst was shown to be stable, with a very low decrease of the yield (≈1% per day) during a continuous experiment over seven days, and to be effective for C–O arylations when carboxylic acids are used as nucleophile instead of sulfinates.

Technological Innovations in Photochemistry for Organic Synthesis: Flow Chemistry, High-Throughput Experimentation, Scale-up, and Photoelectrochemistry

Photoinduced chemical transformations have received in recent years a tremendous amount of attention, providing a plethora of opportunities to synthetic organic chemists. However, performing a photochemical transformation can be quite a challenge because of various issues related to the delivery of photons. These challenges have barred the widespread adoption of photochemical steps in the chemical industry. However, in the past decade, several technological innovations have led to more reproducible, selective, and scalable photoinduced reactions. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview of these exciting technological advances, including flow chemistry, high-throughput experimentation, reactor design and scale-up, and the combination of photo- and electro-chemistry.

Developing flow photo-thiol–ene functionalizations of cinchona alkaloids with an autonomous self-optimizing flow reactor

Continuous flow photo-thiol–ene reactions on cinchona alkaloids with a variety of organic thiols have been developed using enabling technologies such as a self-optimizing flow photochemical reactor.

Photocatalysis in the Life Science Industry

In the pursuit of new pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, chemists in the life science industry require access to mild and robust synthetic methodologies to systematically modify chemical structures, explore novel chemical space, and enable efficient synthesis. In this context, photocatalysis has emerged as a powerful technology for the synthesis of complex and often highly functionalized molecules. This Review aims to summarize the published contributions to the field from the life science industry, including research from industrial-academic partnerships. An overview of the synthetic methodologies developed and strategic applications in chemical synthesis, including peptide functionalization, isotope labeling, and both DNA-encoded and traditional library synthesis, is provided, along with a summary of the state-of-the-art in photoreactor technology and the effective upscaling of photocatalytic reactions.

Discovery of a photochemical cascade process by flow-based interception of isomerising alkenes

Herein we report the discovery of a new photochemical cascade process through a flow-based strategy for intercepting diradicals generated from simple alkenes. This continuous process delivers a series of unprecedented polycyclic reaction products. Exploring the scope of this novel process revealed that this approach is general and affords a variety of structurally complex reaction products in high yields (up to 81%), short reaction times (7 min) and high throughputs (up to 5.5 mmol h^-1). A mechanistic rationale is presented that is supported by computations as well as isolation of key intermediates whose identity is confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The presented photochemical cascade process demonstrates the discovery of new chemical reactivity and complex chemical scaffolds by continuously generating and intercepting high-energy intermediates in a highly practical manner.

Scalability of photochemical reactions in continuous flow mode

Continuous flow photochemistry as a field has witnessed an increasing popularity over the last decade in both academia and industry. Key drivers for this development are safety, practicality as well as the ability to rapidly access complex chemical structures. Continuous flow reactors, whether home-built or from commercial suppliers, additionally allow for creating valuable target compounds in a reproducible and automatable manner. Recent years have furthermore seen the advent of new energy efficient LED lamps that in combination with innovative reactor designs provide a powerful means to increasing both the practicality and productivity of modern photochemical flow reactors. In this review article we wish to highlight key achievements pertaining to the scalability of such continuous photochemical processes.

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Compact reactor architectures designed with fractals

A new methodology for digital production of fractal reactors was developed and implemented. Reactors manufactured with 3D fractals offer enhanced vorticity and compactness that can lead to reduction of material used for production.

N-Chloroamines as substrates for metal-free photochemical atom-transfer radical addition reactions in continuous flow

Photochemical ATRA reactions of N-chloroamines represent an efficient and green method of alkene functionalization. N-Chloroamine generation, purification and reaction in flow enables an efficient process, with a variety of irradiation wavelengths.

Continuous flow synthesis of arylhydrazines via nickel/photoredox coupling of tert-butyl carbazate with aryl halides

Nickel/photoredox catalyzed C-N couplings of hydrazine-derived nucleophiles provide a powerful alternative to Pd-catalyzed methods. This continuous-flow photochemical protocol, optimized using design of experiments, achieves these couplings in short residence times, with high selectivity. A range of (hetero)aryl bromides and chlorides are compatible and understanding of process stability/reactor fouling has been discerned.