Selective Monolithiation of Dibromobiaryls Using Microflow Systems

Selective monolithiation of dibromobiaryls, such as 2,2'-dibromobiphenyl, 4,4'-dibromobiphenyl, 2,7-dibromo-9,9-dioctylfluorene, 2,2'-dibromo-1,1'-binaphthyl, and 5,5'-dibromo-2,2'-bithiophene, with 1 equiv of n-butyllithium followed by the reaction with electrophiles was achieved using a microflow system by virtue of fast micromixing and precise temperature control. Sequential introduction of two different electrophiles based on this method was also achieved using a microflow system composed of four micromixers and four microtube reactors.