Advances on continuous-flow synthesis of drugs in microreactors
Due to small characteristic size of microreactors,it has a large specific surface area,high mixing efficiency,fast heat and mass transfer efficiency,and can accurately control the reaction process.Compared with the traditional synthesis in batch,the single/multi-step synthesis of drugs in microreactors can achieve the advantages of high selectivity,high efficiency and intrinsic process safety.This article reviews the recent research progress in continuous-flow synthesis of drugs and their intermediates in three commonly used microreactors,including capillary microreactors,plate microreactors and micropacked bed reactors,as well as other new microreactors.The advantages of different types of microreactors are summarized from the perspective of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions.Finally,the development directions of continuous-flow synthesis of drugs in the future are prospected.