The stereoselective synthesis of ε-isomers of dimethyl esters of 1,3-diaminotruxillic acid in three steps is reported. The first step is the ortho-palladation of (Z)-2-aryl-4-aryliden-5(4H)-oxazolones 1 to give dinuclear complexes 2 with bridging carboxylates. The reaction occurs through regioselective activation of the ortho-CH bond of the 4-arylidene ring in carboxylic acids. The second step is the [2+2]-photocycloaddition of the CC exocyclic bonds of the oxazolone skeleton in 2 to afford the corresponding dinuclear ortho-palladated cyclobutanes 3. This key step was performed very efficiently by using LED light sources with different wavelengths (465, 525 or 625 nm) in flow microreactors. The final step involved the depalladation of 3 by hydrogenation in methanol to afford the ε-1,3-diaminotruxillic acid derivatives as single isomers.

Conventional methods to determine the kinetic parameters for a certain reaction require multiple, separate isothermal experiments, resulting in time- and material-consuming processes. Here, an approach to determine the kinetic information within a single nonisothermal on-flow experiment is presented, consuming less than 10 μmol of reagents and having a total measuring time of typically 10 min. This approach makes use of a microfluidic NMR chip hyphenated to a continuous-flow microreactor and is based on the capabilities of the NMR chip to analyze subnanomole quantities of material in the 25 nL detection volume. Importantly, useful data are acquired from the microreactor platform in specific isothermal and nonisothermal frames. A model fitting the experimental data enables rapid determination of kinetic parameters, as demonstrated for a library of isoxazole and pyrazole derivatives.

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We report the use of a small-volume nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR)-spectroscopy device with integrated fiber-optics for the real-time detection of UV-vis-light-assisted chemical reactions. An optical fiber is used to guide the light from LEDs or a laser diode positioned safely outside the magnet toward the 25 nL detection volume and placed right above the microfluidic channel, irradiating the transparent back of the NMR chip. The setup presented here overcomes the limitations of conventional NMR systems for in situ UV-vis illumination, with the microchannel permitting efficient light penetration even in highly concentrated solutions, requiring lower-power light intensities, and enabling high photon flux. The efficacy of the setup is illustrated with two model reactions activated at different wavelengths.