The rate constant of the cross-coupling reaction could be increased up to 75 times using the micro reactor, as compared to the batch reaction. The deposition of magnesium species on the surface of the nickel silica catalyst still remains to be solved, while the problem is considerably less serious for the nickel resin catalyst used in the micro reactor system. | Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 46 (1), P. 113 - 119, 2008 THE KUMADA-CORRIU CROSS-COUPLING REACTION IN MICRO REACTOR: ADVANTAGES OVER CONVENTIONAL BATCH REACTOR Received 4 May 2007 Phan thanh son Nam1 and Peter Styring2 1 Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Viet Nam 2 The University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom summary A micro reactor has been used as an alternative to conventional batch reactors for the industrially important Kumada-Corriu cross-coupling reaction of 4-bromoanisole with phenylmagnesium chloride and phenylmagnesium bromide, in the presence of polymer- and silica-supported nickel catalysts. Reasonable conversions could be achieved in a matter of minutes, compared to conversions obtained after 24 h in a conventional batch reactor, albeit on a much smaller scale. The rate constant of the cross-coupling reaction could be increased up to 75 times using the micro reactor, as compared to the batch reaction. The deposition of magnesium species on the surface of the nickel silica catalyst still remains to be solved, while the problem is considerably less serious for the nickel resin catalyst used in the micro reactor system. I - INTRODUCTION Reactor miniaturisation, for example micro reactors in which microlitre quantities of reagents are manipulated, has been shown to confer many advantages over conventional laboratory scale chemical apparatus [1]. Micro reactor technology clearly offers considerable advantages in performing safer and more efficient chemical reactions. In particular, the number of compounds that can be prepared and screened can be significantly increased thereby enhancing the discovery phase [2]. Furthermore, the capability of producing a parallel network of micro reactors, the so-called ‘scaling-out’ of the process, offers a clear route to generating product volume on demand, at the point of use, so reducing the need to store and transport hazardous or highly reactive chemicals [3 - 5]. The technology is still in its early .
