Organic chemists in the UK have created a labour-saving method for making molecules in the lab by using flow methods.

Steven Ley and colleagues from the University of Cambridge have developed the first multi-step synthesis of a structurally complex natural product using a continuous flow reaction.

They linked together seven separate synthetic steps into one sequence to make oxomaritidine. The flow process uses microfluidic glass reaction chips and small columns pre-packed with immobilised reagents that carry out the chemical transformations. Material is pumped through a series of columns containing the reagents and catalysts which transform the compounds to produce the final product. 

This method saves time because it avoids labour intensive practices such as chromatography, crystallisation and distillation. Ley and co-workers said that their approach could be used in the synthesis of other compounds and that the future developments are considerable. 

"We can envisage many exciting opportunities for the machine production of chemical entities on demand and online," Ley said. "Processes can be scaled down or scaled up, creating possibilities for the preparation and online screening of compounds, or for their efficient production."

Sarah M Corcoran