Green Enabling Technologies for Competitive Synthesis of Pharmaceutical Lead Compounds

Abstract

Combinations of different technologies are at the heart of the development and implementation of new, innovative processes and approaches for Industry 4.0 in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Process intensification and advances in high-throughput synthetic techniques can dramatically improve reaction rates in processes for which slow kinetics represents a bottleneck. Easier access to target-based chemical library collections offers wider access to new leads for drug development. Green enabling technologies are a reliable ally for the design of environmentally friendly synthetic processes and more highly competitive pharmaceutical production. Mechanochemistry, microwaves, ultrasound and flow chemistry are mature techniques that can boast drug synthesis when properly integrated into the production chain. In this review, we selected examples from the literature of the last five years related to medicinal chemistry.

Keywords: Enabling technologies; flow chemistry; high-throughput synthesis; mechanochemistry; microwaves; pharmaceutical compounds; process intensification; ultrasound.