A benchtop NMR spectrometer as a tool for monitoring mesoscale continuous-flow organic synthesis: equipment interface and assessment in four organic transformations

• Cynthia M. Archambault^a
• Nicholas E. Leadbeater^*a

• ^* Corresponding author
• ^a Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, USA

An approach is reported for monitoring continuous-flow reactions by means of a low-field benchtop NMR spectrometer. The spectrometer is interfaced with a mesofluidic reactor and used as a tool for optimising four organic transformations, namely an acid-catalysed esterification, a Knoevenagel condensation, a Diels–Alder reaction, and an alkylation. Reactions need to be performed either solvent-free or at relatively high concentration in order to monitor them effectively using the NMR spectrometer, but this allows for the leveraging of one of the key advantages of flow processing, namely process intensification.

Read the publication that featured this abstract