CONTINUOUS FLOW TERPENE SYNTHESIS: METAL PLATE REACTOR-ENABLED DIELS-ALDER REACTIONS

This study presents an eco-friendly, high-efficiency protocol for the industrial production of terpenes using a continuous flow process with metal plate reactors. Traditional methods like batch processing for terpene production via the Diels-Alder reaction suffer from low efficiency, high waste disposal, and high costs due to stringent requirements. In the current study, the reaction parameters were optimized in a continuous flow setup, focusing on conversion, selectivity, and waste reduction to enhance economic viability. The results of optimization studies demonstrate that reaction completion is attainable at temperatures of 90°C and above, under conditions of 4 bar pressure, 1.05 mole equivalents of methyl pentenone, and 0.05 mol% % catalyst loading. The usage of polar solvents was found to adversely affect reagent conversion efficiency. The protocol was validated by comparison with batch methods and demonstrated reproducibility and scalability through a 24-hour continuous process, achieving a 95% mole yield and 96% conversion under optimized conditions. Analyses of Gas chromatography, GC-MS, 1H- and 13CNMR were used to confirm the products. The findings support the industrial potential of the protocol for sustainable terpene production, reducing polymerization and minimizing by-products.