Herein, we illustrate how microreactor technology can be used as a tool for reaction screening and optimization, in addition to improving the reaction chemistry. We report the in-situ generation of azo compounds by reactive quenching of diazonium intermediates in microreactors. This involves an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction, namely, an azo-coupling reaction performed in continuous-flow systems in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst with great emphasis on compounds that do not easily couple. Capitalizing on the benefits of a large surface area and the short molecular diffusion distances observed in microreactors, in-situ phase transfer catalyzed azo-coupling reaction of diphenylamine to p-nitroaniline was investigated. A rapid and easy optimization protocol was established which yielded a 99%, 22%, and 33% conversion of diphenylamine, carbazole, and triphenylamine, respectively, in approximately 2.4 min.
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