Flash flow pyrolysis: mimicking flash vacuum pyrolysis in a high-temperature/high-pressure liquid-phase microreactor environment

Microwave-assisted C-C bond formation of diarylacetylenes and aromatic hydrocarbons on carbon beads under continuous-flow conditions

The synthesis of polycyclic aromatic compounds generally requires stoichiometric oxidants or homogeneous metal catalysts, however, the risk of contamination of inorganic residues can affect their properties. Here we present a microwave (MW)-assisted platinum on beaded activated carbon (Pt/CB)-catalyzed C-C bond formation of diarylacetylenes and aromatic hydrocarbons under continuous-flow conditions. Various fused aromatic compounds were continuously synthesized via dehydrogenative C(sp²)-C(sp²) and C(sp²)-C(sp³) bond formation with yields of up to 87% without the use of oxidants and bases. An activated, local reaction site on Pt/CB in the flow reaction channel reaching temperatures of more than three hundred degrees Celsius was generated in the catalyst cartridge by selective microwave absorption in CB with an absorption efficiency of > 90%. Mechanistic experiments of the transformation reaction indicated that a constant hydrogen gas supply was essential for activating Pt. This is an ideal reaction with minimal input energy and no waste production.

Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Thioureas, Enabled by Aqueous Polysulfide Solution

We have developed the continuous-flow synthesis of thioureas in a multicomponent reaction starting from isocyanides, amidines, or amines and sulfur. The aqueous polysulfide solution enabled the application of sulfur under homogeneous and mild conditions. The crystallized products were isolated by simple filtration after the removal of the co-solvent, and the sulfur retained in the mother liquid. Presenting a wide range of thioureas synthesized by this procedure confirms the utility of the convenient continuous-flow application of sulfur.

Flash Vacuum Pyrolysis: Techniques and Reactions

Flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) had its beginnings in the 1940s and 1950s, mainly through mass spectrometric detection of pyrolytically formed free radicals. In the 1960s many organic chemists started performing FVP experiments with the purpose of isolating new and interesting compounds and understanding pyrolysis processes. Meanwhile, many different types of apparatus and techniques have been developed, and it is the purpose of this review to present the most important methods as well as a survey of typical reactions and observations that can be achieved with the various techniques. This includes preparative FVP, chemical trapping reactions, matrix isolation, and low temperature spectroscopy of reactive intermediates and unstable molecules, the use of online mass, photoelectron, microwave, and millimeterwave spectroscopies, gas-phase laser pyrolysis, pulsed pyrolysis with supersonic jet expansion, very low pressure pyrolysis for kinetic investigations, solution-spray and falling-solid FVP for involatile compounds, and pyrolysis over solid supports and reagents. Moreover, the combination of FVP with matrix isolation and photochemistry is a powerful tool for investigations of reaction mechanism.

Harnessing the Versatility of Continuous-Flow Processes: Selective and Efficient Reactions

There is a great need for effective transformations and a broad range of novel chemical entities. Continuous-flow (CF) approaches are of considerable current interest: highly efficient and selective reactions can be performed in CF reactors. The reaction setup of CF reactors offers a wide variety of possible points where versatility can be introduced. This article presents a number of selective and highly efficient gas-liquid-solid and liquid-solid reactions involving a range of reagents and immobilized catalysts. Enantioselective transformations through catalytic hydrogenation and organocatalytic reactions are included, and isotopically labelled compounds and pharmaceutically relevant 1,2,3-triazoles are synthesized in CF reactors. Importantly, the catalyst bed can be changed to a solid-phase peptide synthesis resin, with which peptide synthesis can be performed with the utilization of only 1.5 equivalents of the amino acid.

An innovation for development of Erlenmeyer–Plöchl reaction and synthesis of AT-130 analogous: a new application of continuous-flow method

The first micro-flow Erlenmeyer–Plöchl azlactone reaction and synthesis of N-benzoylglycine carbamide were established.

New method for in situ generation of enolate-iminium 1,4-dipoles for [4 + 2] and [4 + 1] dipolar heterocycloaddition reactions

Thermolysis ofN-(diphenylenamino)pyrrolediones proceeds with formation of dihydropyrazolone 1,4-dipoles. [4 + 4] Homodimerizations and a series of [4 + 2] and [4 + 1] cycloadditions of these species with various dipolarophiles were investigated.

Gas-phase synthesis of 3-carboethoxy-quinolin-4-ones. A comprehensive computational mechanistic study to uncover the dark side of the Gould–Jacobs reaction

A set of 3-carboethoxy-quinolin-4-ones were synthesized from diethyl 2-((arylamino)methylene) malonates through a Gould–Jacobs cyclization using flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP). A detailed mechanistic study was done using DFT and Coupled Clusters models.

Strategic Application of Residence-Time Control in Continuous-Flow Reactors

As a sustainable alternative for conventional batch-based synthetic techniques, the concept of continuous-flow processing has emerged in the synthesis of fine chemicals. Systematic tuning of the residence time, a key parameter of continuous-reaction technology, can govern the outcome of a chemical reaction by determining the reaction rate and the conversion and by influencing the product selectivity. This review furnishes a brief insight into flow reactions in which high chemo- and/or stereoselectivity can be attained by strategic residence-time control and illustrates the importance of the residence time as a crucial parameter in sustainable method development. Such a fine reaction control cannot be performed in conventional batch reaction set-ups.

Continuous-flow technology—a tool for the safe manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients

In the past few years, continuous-flow reactors with channel dimensions in the micro- or millimeter region have found widespread application in organic synthesis. The characteristic properties of these reactors are their exceptionally fast heat and mass transfer. In microstructured devices of this type, virtually instantaneous mixing can be achieved for all but the fastest reactions. Similarly, the accumulation of heat, formation of hot spots, and dangers of thermal runaways can be prevented. As a result of the small reactor volumes, the overall safety of the process is significantly improved, even when harsh reaction conditions are used. Thus, microreactor technology offers a unique way to perform ultrafast, exothermic reactions, and allows the execution of reactions which proceed via highly unstable or even explosive intermediates. This Review discusses recent literature examples of continuous-flow organic synthesis where hazardous reactions or extreme process windows have been employed, with a focus on applications of relevance to the preparation of pharmaceuticals.

Aerobic flow oxidation of alcohols in water catalyzed by platinum nanoparticles dispersed in an amphiphilic polymer

Various alcohols were aerobically oxidized in an aqueous solution in a continuous-flow reactor containing a platinum nanoparticles dispersed in a polystyrene–poly(ethylene glycol) resin to give the corresponding carbonyl compounds in up to 99% yield.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a tool for probing the reactivity of polyynes relevant to hexadehydro-Diels-Alder (HDDA) cascades

The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) behavior of a number of alkyne-rich compounds is described. The DSC trace for each compound exhibits an exothermic event at a characteristic onset temperature. For the tri- and tetraynes whose [4 + 2] HDDA reactivity in solution has been determined, these onset temperatures show a strong correlation with the cyclization activation energy. The studies reported here exemplify how the data available through this operationally simple analytical technique can give valuable insights into the thermal behavior of small molecules.

Unexpected Products from Mesoionic 1,3-Thiazinium and Oxazinium Olates: A Novel Access to 3,5-Diaryl-1,3-thiazine-2,4,6-trione and Alkoxy-3,5-diphenyl-3H-1,3-oxazine-2,6-dione Derivatives

The condensation of (chlorocarbonyl)ketenes 1 with N-phenylthiocarbamates 2 and N-phenylcarbamates 6 is postulated to lead to the formation of unstable mesoionic 1,3-thiazinium 4-olates I or 1,3-oxazinium 4-olates II, respectively. At room temperature, appropriately substituted mesoionic 1,3-thiazinium 4-olates I eliminated the corresponding alkene with generation of 3,5-diaryl-1,3-thiazine-2,4,6-trione derivatives 3. However, the methoxy-substituted compound 5 was stable at room temperature at least for several weeks. In the case of the mesoionic1,3-oxazinium 4-olates II an alkyl group migration affords 4-alkoxy-3,5-diphenyl-3H-1,3-oxazine-2,6-diones 7.

Flash (Vacuum) Pyrolysis Apparatus and Methods

The history of pyrolysis equipment, methods, and reactions is narrated in the Introduction. Detailed descriptions of flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) (or thermolysis, FVT) apparatus for preparative and spectroscopic (UV, IR, electron spin resonance) purposes with product isolation at 77 K or in Ar matrices at ~10 K are presented. Very low pressure pyrolysis (VLPP), laser pyrolysis, and pulsed pyrolysis (jet flash pyrolysis) are also described together with illustrations of apparatus. The solvent spray flash vacuum pyrolysis (SS-FVP) of liquids or solutions of compounds of low volatility is described together with methods for the addition of solids to a pyrolysis tube, in particular details of pipto-pyrolysis (‘falling solid pyrolysis’). Methods used for catalytic vacuum gas–solid reactions (VGSR) are also summarised.

Microwave Flash Pyrolysis: C9H8 Interconversions and Dimerisations

The pyrolysis of 2-ethynyltoluene, indene, fluorene, and related compounds has been studied by sealed tube microwave flash pyrolysis (MFP), in concert with modelling of putative mechanistic pathways by density functional theory (DFT) computations. In the MFP technique, samples are admixed with graphite and subjected to intense microwave power (150–300 W) in a quartz reaction tube under a nitrogen atmosphere. The MFP reaction of 2-ethynyltoluene gave mostly indene, the product of a Roger Brown rearrangement (1,2-H shift to a vinylidene) followed by insertion. An additional product was chrysene, the likely result of hydrogen atom loss from indene followed by dimerisation. The intermediacy of dimeric bi-indene structures was supported by pyrolysis of bi-indene and by computational models. Benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[c]phenanthrene are minor products in these reactions. These are shown to arise from pyrolysis of chrysene under the same MFP conditions. MFP reaction of fluorene gave primarily bi-fluorene, bifluorenylidene, and dibenzochrysene, the latter derived from a known Stone–Wales rearrangement.

Rapid and efficient trifluoromethylation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds using potassium trifluoroacetate enabled by a flow system

Going to the source: The trifluoromethylation of aryl/heteroaryl iodides has been demonstrated using a flow system, thus enabling a rapid rate of reaction. A broad spectrum of trifluoromethylated compounds was prepared in good to excellent yields using CF3 CO2 K as the trifluoromethyl source. The process has the advantage of short reaction times and uses convenient [CF3 ] sources.

Novel process windows for enabling, accelerating, and uplifting flow chemistry

Novel Process Windows make use of process conditions that are far from conventional practices. This involves the use of high temperatures, high pressures, high concentrations (solvent-free), new chemical transformations, explosive conditions, and process simplification and integration to boost synthetic chemistry on both the laboratory and production scale. Such harsh reaction conditions can be safely reached in microstructured reactors due to their excellent transport intensification properties. This Review discusses the different routes towards Novel Process Windows and provides several examples for each route grouped into different classes of chemical and process-design intensification.

Development and Evaluation of a Raman Flow Cell for Monitoring Continuous Flow Reactions

We show how in-line Raman spectroscopy can be used to monitor both reactant and product concentrations for a heterogeneously catalysed Suzuki cross reaction operating in continuous flow. The flow system consisted of an HPLC pump to drive a homogeneous mixture of the reactants (4-bromobenzonitrile, phenylboronic acid, and potassium carbonate) through an oven heated (80°C) palladium catalyst immobilised on a silica monolith. A custom built PTFE in-line flow cell with a quartz window enabled the coupling of an Ocean Optics Raman spectrometer probe to monitor both the reactants and product (4-cyanobiphenyl). Calibration was based on obtaining multivariate spectral data in the range 1530 cm–1 and 1640 cm–1 and using partial least-squares regression (PLSR) to obtain a calibration model which was validated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. In-line Raman monitoring of the reactant and product concentrations enable (i) determination of reaction kinetic information such as the empirical rate law and associated rate constant and (ii) optimisation of either the product conversion (61 % at 0.02 mL min–1 generating 17 g h–1) or product yield (14 % at 0.24 mL min–1 generating 53 g h–1).