DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A CONTINUOUS MICROWAVE REACTOR FOR ORGANIC-SYNTHESIS

A laboratory-scale continuous microwave reactor (CMR) has been developed and used to conduct organic syntheses routinely, rapidly, and safely in a range of solvents, under pressures up to 1400 kPa and at temperatures up to 200 degrees C. Advantages and applications of the CMR are discussed, along with the rationale for the design. Reactions carried out with the CMR included nucleophilic substitution, addition, esterification, transesterification, acetalization, amidation, base- and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, isomerization, decarboxylation, and elimination. Name reactions included the Michael addition, Hofmann degradation, Williamson ether synthesis, and the Mannich, Finkelstein, Baylis-Hillman, and Knoevenagel reactions.