Microwaves - Application to Organic Synthesis.

Wiad. Chem. 53, 66-93 (1999)



Darek Bogdal
e-mail: pcbogdal@kinga.cyf-kr.edu.pl

Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Technology,
Politechnika Krakowska,
ul. Warszawska 24, 31-155 Krakow, Poland;

In the last few years there has been a growing interest in the use of microwave heating in organic synthesis. The use of such nonconvetional reaction conditions reveals several features like: a short reaction time compared to conventional heating, ease of work-up after a reaction, and reduction in the usual thermal degradation and better selectivity. Microwave ovens provide a clean and cheap alternative to conventional oil baths. The popularity of microwave heating for organic synthesis has increased to the extent that it now forms the basis of a number of commercial systems, and has even made its way into undergraduate laboratory courses.

Microwave heating has been proven to be of benefit particularly for the reactions under "dry" media (i.e., in the absence of a solvent, on solid support with or without catalysts) and offers a number of advantages: solvents are often expensive, toxic, difficult to remove in the case of aprotonic solvents with high boiling point. Liquid-liquid extraction can be avoided for the isolation of reaction products. Moreover, the absence of solvent reduce the risk of explosions when reaction takes place in a microwave oven.

In the present article microwave-assisted organic syntheses are reviewed in the context of their the most significant examples.


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