Ionic Liquid-Based Suzuki Coupling Reaction: From Batch to Continuous Microflow System

Transformed from heterogeneous to homogeneous state, an ionic liquid (IL)-based Suzuki coupling reaction was successfully implemented in a continuous microflow system. Triethylamine (Et3N) was introduced as the base, and N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) was used as the solvent of boronic acid, which brought about the first improvement on the reaction performance. Then, the implementation of this reaction in a continuous microflow system brought about further improvement on the reaction yield and selectivity due to better mixing condition. The combination of IL as the reaction medium and the continuous microflow system as the reactor in this work exhibited great potential for efficient Suzuki coupling reactions.