chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

a one-pot synthesis is a strategy to improve the efficiency of a

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemistry, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an Gibbs free energy, ...

in which a reactant is subjected to successive chemical reactions in just one reactor. This is much desired by chemists because avoiding a lengthy

separation process A separation process is a method that converts a mixture or a solution of chemical substances into two or more distinct product mixtures, a scientific process of separating two or more substances in order to obtain purity. At least one product mi ...

and purification of the intermediate

chemical compounds A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

can save time and resources while increasing

chemical yield In chemistry, yield, also known as reaction yield or chemical yield, refers to the amount of product obtained in a chemical reaction. Yield is one of the primary factors that scientists must consider in organic and inorganic chemical synthesis ...

. An example of a one-pot synthesis is the

total synthesis Total synthesis, a specialized area within organic chemistry, focuses on constructing complex organic compounds, especially those found in nature, using laboratory methods. It often involves synthesizing natural products from basic, commercially ...

of tropinone or the Gassman indole synthesis. Sequential one-pot syntheses can be used to generate even complex targets with multiple stereocentres, such as

oseltamivir Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu among others, is an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and influenza B, viruses that cause the flu. Many medical organizations recommend it in people who have complicati ...

, which may significantly shorten the number of steps required overall and have important commercial implications. A sequential one-pot synthesis with reagents added to a reactor one at a time and without work-up is also called a telescoping synthesis. In one such procedure the reaction of 3-N-tosylaminophenol I with acrolein II affords a

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...

substituted

quinoline Quinoline is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C9H7N. It is a colorless hygroscopic liquid with a strong odor. Aged samples, especially if exposed to light, become yellow and later brown. Quinoline is only sl ...

III through 4 sequential steps without workup of the intermediate products (see image). The addition of acrolein (blue) is a Michael reaction catalyzed by N,N-diisopropylamine, the presence of

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

converts the

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () (lat. ''al''cohol ''dehyd''rogenatum, dehydrogenated alcohol) is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred ...

group to an

acetal In organic chemistry, an acetal is a functional group with the connectivity . Here, the R groups can be organic fragments (a carbon atom, with arbitrary other atoms attached to that) or hydrogen, while the R' groups must be organic fragments n ...

but this process is reversed when

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

is introduced (red). The

enolate In organic chemistry, enolates are organic anions derived from the deprotonation of carbonyl () compounds. Rarely isolated, they are widely used as reagents in the Organic synthesis, synthesis of organic compounds. Bonding and structure Enolate ...

reacts as an

electrophile In chemistry, an electrophile is a chemical species that forms bonds with nucleophiles by accepting an electron pair. Because electrophiles accept electrons, they are Lewis acids. Most electrophiles are positively Electric charge, charged, have an ...

in a Friedel-Crafts reaction with ring-closure. The

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

group is eliminated in presence of

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

(green) and when in the final step the reaction medium is neutralized to pH 7 (magenta) the

tosyl In organic chemistry, a toluenesulfonyl group (tosyl group, abbreviated Ts or TosIn this article, "Ts", unless otherwise stated, means tosyl, not tennessine.) is a univalent functional group with the chemical formula . It consists of a tolyl ...

group is eliminated as well.

References

Chemical synthesis {{Reaction-stub