A continuous flow approach for the desulfurative bromination of sulfides

The preparation of alkyl bromides is a pivotal transformation in organic chemistry. The wide range of applications that bromides have as building blocks render this class of compounds a privileged motif widely used in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Traditionally prepared from the deoxygenation of alcohols, alkyl bromides have been recently obtained from sulfides in high yields, a transformation we have named desulfurative bromination. In order to improve the efficiency of this transformation, we report herein the investigation and optimisation of a continuous flow strategy. The influence of the flow rate; role of the brominating agent; and substrate scope have been studied delivering an in-flow protocol to access multigram quantities of these valuable intermediates.