Switching Reaction Pathways of Benzo[b]thiophen-3-yllithium and Benzo[b]furan-3-yllithium Based on High-resolution Residence-time and Temperature Control in a Flow Microreactor

Reaction-pathway control of benzo[b]thiophen-3-yllithium and benzo[b]furan-3-yllithium was accomplished in flow microreactor systems. We could switch between the reaction with an electrophile before ring-opening and that after ring-opening at will by choosing an appropriate residence-time and temperature.