Exploiting a silver–bismuth hybrid material as heterogeneous noble metal catalyst for decarboxylations and decarboxylative deuterations of carboxylic acids under batch and continuous flow conditions

Abstract

Herein, we report novel catalytic methodologies for protodecarboxylations and decarboxylative deuterations of carboxylic acids utilizing a silver-containing hybrid material as a heterogeneous noble metal catalyst. After an initial batch method development, a chemically intensified continuous flow process was established in a simple packed-bed system which enabled gram-scale protodecarboxlyations without detectable structural degradation of the catalyst. The scope and applicability of the batch and flow processes were demonstrated through decarboxylations of a diverse set of aromatic carboxylic acids. Catalytic decarboxylative deuterations were achieved on the basis of the reaction conditions developed for the protodecarboxylations using D₂O as a readily available deuterium source.