Flow synthesis offers many advantages when applied to the processing of difficult or dangerous chemical transformations. Furthermore, continuous production allows for rapid scale up of reactions without significant redevelopment of the routes. Importantly, it can also provide a versatile platform from which to build integrated multi-step transformations, delivering more advanced chemical architectures. The construction of multi-purpose micro and meso flow systems, that utilize in-line purification and diagnostic capabilities, creates a scenario of seamless connectivity between sequential steps of a longer chemical sequence. In this mini perspective, we will discuss our experience of target orientated multi-step synthesis as presented at the recent inaugural meeting of LEGOMEDIC at Namar University, Belgium.

The free radical polymerisation of aqueous solutions of acrylic acid (1) has been studied using a continuous flow reactor to quickly screen reaction parameters such as temperature, residence time, monomer- and initiator concentration.

We have developed methodology to synthesise aqueous soluble polymers such as poly(acrylic acid) in flow, enabling access to a variety of molecular weights.

Polymers are an important class of compounds used in many commercial products; for example, in the aerospace and automotive industries functioning as low weight construction parts and seals, through into the packaging of food and drink and even as aqueous soluble polymers, which are found in numerous detergents and other cleaning products. Significant research has, therefore, been invested towards the design and synthesis of new polymers using a variety of polymerisation techniques to deliver specifically tailored structures with refined macromolecular structures including tailoring parameters such as molecular weight, polydispersity and tacticity. One interesting approach, which has started to demonstrate value in the synthesis of polymers, is the conducting of polymerisation processes in a dynamic continuous flow scenario. Flow polymerisation has been shown to facilitate access to new polymers which cannot be synthesised or would be difficult to prepare under conventional batch conditions through improved control over the various reaction parameters. In this chapter, a brief selective overview is given of the various syntheses of polymers and polymeric particles that have been reported in the literature via flow processes to date.