A scalable continuous photo-flow protocol for anaerobic oxidative cleavage of styrenes

Abstract

Ozonolysis is an important organic chemistry transformation, widely employed for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds. However, handling difficulties associated with ozone makes this a dangerous and tedious task to perform on a large scale. Herein, we report a continuous photo-flow protocol for the anaerobic oxidative cleavage of styrenes using nitroarene as the oxygen transfer reagent. The developed flow process provided yields up to 80% in a shorter residence time of 60–90 minutes. Various styrene derivatives underwent anaerobic cleavage, leading to the formation of carbonyl derivatives. This developed photo-flow process carries significant potential for the industrial scale production of carbonyl compounds.