Continuous flow mechanochemistry: reactive extrusion as an enabling technology in organic synthesis.

Rapid and wide-ranging developments have established mechanochemistry as a powerful avenue in sustainable organic synthesis. This is primarily due to unique opportunities which have been offered in solvent-free - or highly solvent-minimised - reaction systems. Nevertheless, despite elegant advances in ball-milling technology, limitations in scale-up still remain. This tutorial review covers the first reports into the translation from "batch-mode" ball-milling to "flow-mode" reactive extrusion, using twin-screw extrusion.

Evolution of Solid Processing Methods in Continuous Flow Technology: Reactive Extrusion.

The frustrations of precipitation, fouling and blockages of liquid-based flow reactors is familiar to all researchers that have worked with continuous flow equipment. There have been many innovative solutions to try and circumvent this issue. This short review will highlight the emerging technique of mechanochemistry and reactive extrusion as a continuous process that can directly work on solid (and liquid) materials and elicit chemical transformations.

Continuous Flow Generation of Acylketene Intermediates via Nitrogen Extrusion.

A flow chemistry process for the generation and use of acylketene precursors through extrusion of nitrogen gas is reported. Key to the development of a suitable continuous protocol is the balance of reaction concentration against pressure in the flow reactor. The resulting process enables access to intercepted acylketene scaffolds using volatile amine nucleophiles and has been demonstrated on the gram scale. Thermal gravimetric analysis was used to guide the temperature set point of the reactor coils for a variety of acyl ketene precursors. The simultaneous generation and reaction of two reactive intermediates (both derived from nitrogen extrusion) is demonstrated.

Challenges Arising from Continuous-Flow Olefin Metathesis.

The versatility of olefin metathesis is evident from its successful applications ranging from natural product synthesis to the valorization of renewable feedstocks. On the other side, flow chemistry has recently gained particular interest among the synthetic community, offering valuable alternatives to classic batch chemistry and paving the way to the development of new transformations. The application of continuous-flow methods to olefin metathesis represents one of the most promising evolutions in the field at the interface of industrially relevant synthesis and reactor engineering, significantly improving some of the typical problems such as undesired self-reactions and ethylene-mediated catalyst deactivation. This Minireview aims to provide a brief survey covering the major aspects of those techniques which we hope may be of interest for the chemical community as well as those interested in catalysis, continuous processing, enabling technologies and reactor design.

Mechanoredox Chemistry as an Emerging Strategy in Synthesis.

Recent research endeavors have established that the mechanochemical activation of piezoelectric materials can open new avenues in redox chemistry. Impact forces, such as those imparted by a ball mill, have been shown to transform piezoelectric materials such as barium titanate (BaTiO3 ) into a highly polarized state, which can then donate an electron to a suitable oxidant and receive an electron from a suitable reductant, mimicking established photoredox catalytic cycles. Proof-of-concept studies have elucidated that mechanoredox chemistry holds great potential in sustainable and efficient radical-based synthesis.

Solvent-Minimized Synthesis of 4CzIPN and Related Organic Fluorophores via Ball Milling.

The mechanochemical synthesis of 2,4,5,6-tetra(9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile and related organic fluorophores/photocatalysts via a solvent-minimized four-fold SNAr pathway is herein described. Employing sodium tert-butoxide as base, and negating the need for any air/moisture-sensitive reaction set-ups, a selection of organic dyes was synthesized in just 1 h using this ball-milling technique. Furthermore, the transformation was then showcased on a multigram scale.

Continuous Flow Z-Stereoselective Olefin Metathesis: Development and Applications in the Synthesis of Pheromones and Macrocyclic Odorant Molecules*.

The first continuous flow Z-selective olefin metathesis process is reported. Key to realizing this process was the adequate choice of stereoselective catalysts combined with the design of an appropriate continuous reactor setup. The designed continuous process permits various self-, cross- and macro-ring-closing-metathesis reactions, delivering products in high selectivity and short residence times. This technique is exemplified by direct application to the preparation of a range of pheromones and macrocyclic odorant molecules and culminates in a telescoped Z-selective cross-metathesis/ Dieckmann cyclisation sequence to access (Z)-Civetone, incorporating a serial array of continually stirred tank reactors.

Direct Amidation of Esters by Ball Milling*.

The direct mechanochemical amidation of esters by ball milling is described. The operationally simple procedure requires an ester, an amine, and substoichiometric KOtBu and was used to prepare a large and diverse library of 78 amide structures with modest to excellent efficiency. Heteroaromatic and heterocyclic components are specifically shown to be amenable to this mechanochemical protocol. This direct synthesis platform has been applied to the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and agrochemicals as well as the gram-scale synthesis of an active pharmaceutical, all in the absence of a reaction solvent.

Ball-Milling-Enabled Reactivity of Manganese Metal*.

Efforts to generate organomanganese reagents under ball-milling conditions have led to the serendipitous discovery that manganese metal can mediate the reductive dimerization of arylidene malonates. The newly uncovered process has been optimized and its mechanism explored using CV measurements, radical trapping experiments, EPR spectroscopy, and solution control reactions. This unique reactivity can also be translated to solution whereupon pre-milling of the manganese is required.

A Mechanochemical Zinc-Mediated Barbier-Type Allylation Reaction under Ball-Milling Conditions.

A ball-milling-enabled zinc-mediated Barbier-type allylation reaction is reported. Notably, running the reaction in this manner renders it effective irrespective of the initial morphology of the zinc metal. The process is operationally simple, does not require inert atmospheres or dry solvents, and is reported over a range of aldehyde and ketone substrates; a gram-scale process is demonstrated.

Sulfonamide Synthesis through Electrochemical Oxidative Coupling of Amines and Thiols.

Sulfonamides are key motifs in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, spurring the continuous development of novel and efficient synthetic methods to access these functional groups. Herein, we report an environmentally benign electrochemical method which enables the oxidative coupling between thiols and amines, two readily available and inexpensive commodity chemicals. The transformation is completely driven by electricity, does not require any sacrificial reagent or additional catalysts and can be carried out in only 5 min. Hydrogen is formed as a benign byproduct at the counter electrode. Owing to the mild reaction conditions, the reaction displays a broad substrate scope and functional group compatibility.

Robust Buchwald-Hartwig amination enabled by ball-milling.

An operationally simple mechanochemical method for the Pd catalysed Buchwald-Hartwig amination of arylhalides with secondary amines has been developed using a Pd PEPPSI catalyst system. The system is demonstrated on 30 substrates and applied in the context of a target synthesis. Furthermore, the performance of the reaction under aerobic conditions has been probed under traditional solution and mechanochemical conditions, the observations are discussed herein.

Switching Chemoselectivity: Using Mechanochemistry to Alter Reaction Kinetics.

A reaction manifold has been discovered in which the chemoselectivity can be altered by switching between neat milling and liquid assisted grinding (LAG) with polar additives. After investigation of the reaction mechanism, it has been established that this switching in reaction pathway is due to the neat mechanochemical conditions exhibiting different kinetics for a key step in the transformation. This proof of concept study demonstrates that mechanochemistry can be used to trap the kinetic product of a reaction. It is envisaged that, if this concept can be successfully applied to other transformations, novel synthetic processes could be discovered and known reaction pathways perturbed or diverted.

Mechanochemical Activation of Zinc and Application to Negishi Cross-Coupling.

A form independent activation of zinc, concomitant generation of organozinc species and engagement in a Negishi cross-coupling reaction via mechanochemical methods is reported. The reported method exhibits a broad substrate scope for both C(sp3 )-C(sp2 ) and C(sp2 )-C(sp2 ) couplings and is tolerant to many important functional groups. The method may offer broad reaching opportunities for the in situ generation organometallic compounds from base metals and their concomitant engagement in synthetic reactions via mechanochemical methods.

From Ligand to Phosphor: Rapid, Machine-Assisted Synthesis of Substituted Iridium(III) Pyrazolate Complexes with Tuneable Luminescence.

A first-generation machine-assisted approach towards the preparation of hybrid ligand/metal materials has been developed. A comparison of synthetic approaches demonstrates that incorporation of both flow chemistry and microwave heating can be successfully applied to the rapid synthesis of a range of new phenyl-1H-pyrazoles (ppz) substituted with electron-withdrawing groups (-F, -CF3 , -OCF3 , and -SF5 ). These, in turn, can be translated into heteroleptic complexes, [Ir(ppz)2 (bipy)]BF4 (bipy=2,2'-bipyridine). Microwave-assisted synthesis for the IrIII complexes allows isolation of spectroscopically pure species in less than 1 h of reaction time starting from IrCl3 . All of the new complexes have been characterised photophysically (including nanosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy), electrochemically, and by TD-DFT studies. The complexes exhibit ligand-dependent, tuneable, green-yellow luminescence (500-560 nm), with quantum yields in the range 5-15 %.

Exploring the C

A family of cyclometalated Au(III) complexes featuring a tridentate C^N^C scaffold has been synthesized and characterized. Microwave assisted synthesis of the ligands has also been exploited and optimized. The biological properties of the thus formed compounds have been studied in cancer cells and demonstrate generally moderate antiproliferative effects. Initial mechanistic insights have also been gained on the gold complex [Au(C^N^C)(GluS)] (3), and support the idea that the thioredoxin system may be a target for this family of compounds together with other relevant intracellular thiol-containing molecules.

One-pot multistep mechanochemical synthesis of fluorinated pyrazolones.

Solventless mechanochemical synthesis represents a technique with improved sustainability metrics compared to solvent-based processes. Herein, we describe a methodical process to run one solventless reaction directly into another through multistep mechanochemistry, effectively amplifying the solvent savings. The approach has to consider the solid form of the materials and compatibility of any auxiliary used. This has culminated in the development of a two-step, one-jar protocol for heterocycle formation and subsequent fluorination that has been successfully applied across a range of substrates, resulting in 12 difluorinated pyrazolones in moderate to excellent yields.