Development of an Automated Platform for C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) Bond Formation via XAT Chemistry

Increasing Fsp(3) in drug molecules is of high importance in the pharmaceutical industry to escape the flatland. However, there is a lack of diverse methods to introduce C(sp(3)) into a molecule in library synthesis. In this work, we report the combination of continuous flow chemistry with photochemistry to create an automated platform for library synthesis using halogen atom transfer (XAT) reaction to increase Fsp(3) in drug molecules. The chemistry has a broad scope of alkyl halides and electron deficient alkenes. We report a library synthesis of 84 compounds with a productivity of 1.5 reactions per hour, a scope of 51 isolated compounds and the reproducibility and scalability of the chemistry. Providing an efficient automated tool to synthesize drug-like molecules with increased Fsp(3) in drug discovery and development.