A supported aqueous phase catalyst coating in micro flow Mizoroki-Heck reaction

The application of a supported aqueous phase catalyst (SAPC) coating was investigated for the Mizoroki-Heck reaction in micro flow and favorably compared to the use of an SAPC in a batch system. In batch, an 83% yield was observed after 4 hours at 180 °C with a catalyst loading of 0.4 mol%, while in flow a residence time of 2.9 minutes provided a 21% yield with only 0.01 mol% catalyst loading. In batch the SAPC could be re-used twice without any significant loss in yield, but further re-use was prevented due to problematic accumulation of an ammonium salt. In the micro flow system, this problem could be overcome by adding water into the product flow prior to cooling, allowing even more effective use of the catalyst.