Aerobic C-H olefination of indoles via a cross-dehydrogenative coupling in continuous flow

Abstract

Herein, we report the first site-selective, Pd(II)-catalyzed, cross-dehydrogenative Heck reaction of indoles in micro flow. By use of a capillary microreactor, we were able to boost the intrinsic kinetics to accelerate former hour-scale reaction conditions in batch to the minute range in flow. The synergistic use of microreactor technology and oxygen, as both terminal oxidant and mixing motif, highlights the sustainable aspect of this process.