Cyclic enones as substrates in the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction: surfactant interactions, scope and scalability with an emphasis on formaldehyde

Abstract

Traditionally, cyclic enones and formalin are reactants notorious for displaying problematic behaviour (i.e., poor solubility and low yields) under Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction conditions. The body of research presented herein focuses on the use of surfactants in water as a solvent medium that offers a resolution to many of the issues associated with the MBH reaction. Reaction scope, scalability and small angle X-ray scattering have been studied to assist with the understanding of the reaction mechanism and industrial application. A comparison against known literature methods for reaction scale-up is also discussed.