From Immobilization to Catalyst Use: A Complete Continuous Flow Approach Towards the Use of Immobilized Organocatalysts
The combination of chiral supported organocatalysts and flow chemistry promotes the sustainable production of enantioenriched compounds providing a very powerful tool for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. However, the rapid deactivation of these catalysts in heterogeneous asymmetric reactions has been limiting the expansion of the area. In this work we report for the first time the advantages of synthesizing, immobilizing, and using a silica supported organocatalyst under a complete continuous flow approach, showing the impact of this method on the morphology, structure and lifetime of the organocatalyst. The first generation MacMillan's organocatalyst was prepared from L phenylalanine and immobilized in silica through a carbamate linkage under batch and continuous flow conditions. We also evaluated the performance of both batch and continuous flow organocatalysts in the Diels Alder reaction for proof of concept.
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