Single-Mode Instruments

Microwave and fluorous technologies have been combined in the solution phase parallel synthesis of 3-aminoimidazo[l,2-a]pyridines and -pyrazines [63]. The three-component condensation of a perfluorooctane-sulfonyl (Rfs = CgFiy) substituted benzaldehyde by microwave irradiation in a single-mode instrument at 150 °C for 10 min in CH2CI2 - MeOH in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 gave the imidazo-annulated heterocycles that could be purified by fluorous solid phase extraction (Scheme 9). Subsequent Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of the fluorous sulfonates with arylboronic acids or thiols gave biaryls or aryl sulfides, respectively, albeit it in relatively low yields. 

The CEM Discover platform, introduced in 2001, offers a single-mode instrument based on the self-tuning circular waveguide technique (see Fig. 3.3). This concept allows for derivatization of the reactor to accommodate additional application-specific modules to address other common laboratory objectives. While the Discover ... 

Another example involves dioxygen-promoted regioselective oxidative Heck aryla-tions of electron-rich alkenes with arylboronic acids (Scheme 4.12c). For this, two types of microwave reactors have been used. In a single-mode instrument (1 mmol run 25 mL vessel), the Heck arylation was performed by first pre-pressurizing the... 

As a starting point for reaction optimization, Biotage offers a microwave reaction database (Emrys PathFinder) with ca. 4000 validated entries for microwave chemistry performed with Biotage single-mode instruments. 

Microwave heaters. Increasing interest is being shown towards applications in chemistry of microwave heating, both for solution and solid-state chemistry. Domestic ovens are so-called multi-mode instruments in which the microwaves are reflected by the walls of the cavity. This kind of equipment can irradiate several vessels in a cavity, whereas in a single-mode instrument there is one vessel at a fixed distance from the radiation source. 

Both multimode and single-mode instruments can be used to carry out chemical reactions efficiently. The choice of instrumentation depends on the desired application and scale and not on the kind of chemistry to be performed. 

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