Use of a catalytic co-solvent, N,N-dimethyl octanamide, allows the flow synthesis of Gleevec with no solvent switch

Abstract

A general, efficient method for C−N cross‐coupling has been developed using N,N‐dimethyloctanamide as a catalytic cosolvent for biphasic continuous‐flow applications. The described method was used to generate a variety of biarylamines and was integrated into a two‐step sequence which converted phenols into biarylamines via either triflates or tosylates. Additionally, the method was applied to a three‐step synthesis of imatinib, the API of Gleevec, in good yield without the need of solvent switches.