Asymmetric reactions in continuous flow

Peter H Seeberger,Paola Laurino,Xiao Yin Mak

doi:10.3762/bjoc.5.19

Abstract

An overview of asymmetric synthesis in continuous flow and microreactors is presented in this review. Applications of homogeneous and heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis as well as biocatalysis in flow are discussed.

Highlights

While many technological advancements have been made over the years in order to facilitate the day-to-day endeavors of the laboratory chemist, an aspect that has been reconsidered only recently is the format in which organic transformations are carried out
Stereoselective transformations are among the many different classes of reactions that have been investigated using continuous flow technology
The potential applications of continuous flow technology as a valuable tool for asymmetric synthesis has been demonstrated in terms of fast optimization studies, improved control of reaction conditions and in the case of heterogeneous catalysis, Page 1 of 11

Summary

Introduction

While many technological advancements have been made over the years in order to facilitate the day-to-day endeavors of the laboratory chemist, an aspect that has been reconsidered only recently is the format in which organic transformations are carried out. The potential applications of continuous flow technology as a valuable tool for asymmetric synthesis has been demonstrated in terms of fast optimization studies, improved control of reaction conditions and in the case of heterogeneous catalysis, Page 1 of 11 (page number not for citation purposes) Soluble supported catalysts have been developed, in form of dendrimers that can be separated from the reaction mixture via membrane filtration, a process that is applicable in continuous flow [19,20,21,22].

Results

Conclusion