Enabling technologies and methodologies were established and combined to
afford various environmentally benign processes for laboratory-scale organic
synthesis and for the production of fine chemicals, intermediates and
pharmaceuticals. The technologies comprised continuous and batch microwave
reactors and catalytic membranes. The methodologies included solvent-free
conditions, catalysed or uncatalysed processes, the use of aqueous media at
high temperature and non-extractive techniques for product isolation.
Applications included Hofmann eliminations, Willgerodt and Jacobs–Gould
reactions, indole transformations, aldol condensation, Rupe and
Meyer–Schuster rearrangements and C–C coupling reactions
(including a tandem Heck coupling–dehydrogenation). New processes for
catalytic etherification, uncatalysed hydrogen transfer and a one-step
arylamidation were also developed. Typical products were
N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide, carvacrol,
a-phenylacetamide, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, acetophenone, indole,
3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethyl-4-pyridone, di(2-phenylethyl) ether,
di(cyclopropylmethyl) ether, 3-methylcyclopent-2-enone and a synthetic
precursor of nalidixic acid.
