Microreactor technology and flow chemistry could play an important role in the development of green and sustainable synthetic processes. In this review, some recent relevant examples in the field of flash chemistry, catalysis, hazardous chemistry and continuous flow processing are described. Selected examples highlight the role that flow chemistry could play in the near future for a sustainable development.

The first direct and straightforward nucleophilic fluoromethylation of organic compounds is reported. The tactic employs a "fleeting" lithium fluorocarbenoid (LiCHF) generated from commercially available fluoroiodomethane. Precise reaction conditions were developed for the generation and synthetic exploitation of such a labile species. The versatility of the strategy is showcased in ca. 50 examples involving a plethora of electrophiles. Highly valuable chemicals such as fluoroalcohols, fluoroamines, and fluoromethylated oxygenated heterocycles could be prepared in very good yields through a single synthetic operation. The scalability of the reaction and its application to complex molecular architectures (e.g., steroids) are documented.

Starting from readily available C2-substituted thietane 1-oxides, a straightforward synthesis of new C2,C4-disubstituted thietane 1-oxides has been developed by using a lithiation/electrophilic trapping sequence. The chemical and configurational stability of lithiated C2-substituted thietane 1-oxides has been investigated as well as the stereochemical implications for this process. The results demonstrate that a stereoselective functionalization at the C2, C4 positions of a thietane is feasible, leaving intact the four-membered ring.

The regioselective functionalization of four- and six-membered cyclic sulfones was investigated using a lithiation/electrophile trapping strategy. The protocol features an interesting eco-compatibility profile because of the use of 2-MeTHF as a solvent (more eco-friendly than other organic solvents) and n-hexyllithium as a lithiating agent safer than other alkyllithium compounds. Several derivatives were prepared with different stereochemistry and substitution patterns. A number of selected derivatives, spanning a range of 5 log P units, were characterized for their lipophilicity through RP-HPLC. A good linear correlation, with a slope close to 1.0, was observed between the experimentally determined RP-HPLC lipophilicity parameters (log k') and calculated log P (clog P) values, whereas a systematic difference in absolute values between the chromatographic parameters and in silico lipophilicity descriptors can be attributed mainly to silanophilic interactions between the H-bond acceptor SO group and free silanol groups on silica-based C18 columns, which results in increased retention times.