Named Reactions under Mechanochemical Conditions: A Critical Survey

Mechanochemistry has progressed from a niche interest to a core method for solvent-free synthesis, providing sustainable and mechanistically unique alternatives to traditional solution-based chemistry. When controlled impact, shear, or vibrational energy is applied under solvent-free or solvent-lean conditions, reactions are promoted within dynamically renewed interfacial regions, revealing new patterns of selectivity, energy efficiency, and process design. This review surveys the historical development, fundamental principles, and analytical frameworks of mechanochemistry, together with an extensive compilation of named organic reactions conducted under mechanochemical conditions. By comparing mechanochemical reactions with their solution-phase counterparts, this review clarifies how stress-induced activation, microsolvation (η control), and auxiliary-mediated interfaces influence reaction kinetics, selectivity, and scalability. Emerging platforms, such as twin-screw extrusion (TSE), resonant acoustic mixing (RAM), and bead mills, extend these advantages toward scale-up and, in the case of TSE, continuous manufacturing, bridging laboratory-scale discoveries and industrial applications. Mechanochemistry functions both as a practical enabling platform and as a conceptual framework for Green Chemistry, embracing atom economy, solvent reduction, and operational safety within a unified solid-state synthetic framework.