Zhenghui Wen

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher (Professor) at Yongjiang Laboratory

Carbon–nitrogen bonds are ubiquitous in biologically active compounds, prompting synthetic chemists to design various methodologies for their preparation. Arguably, the ideal synthetic approach is to be able to directly convert omnipresent C–H bonds in organic molecules, enabling even late-stage functionalization of complex organic scaffolds. While...

Photocatalytic hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) processes have been the object of numerous studies showcasing the potential of the homogeneous photocatalyst tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) for the functionalization of C(sp³)–H bonds. However, to translate these studies into large-scale industrial processes, careful considerations of catalyst l...

Flow chemistry has unlocked a world of possibilities for the synthetic community, but the idea that it is a mysterious "black box" needs to go. In this review, we show that several of the benefits of microreactor technology can be exploited to push the boundaries in organic synthesis and to unleash unique reactivity and selectivity. By "lifting the...

The optimization, intensification, and scale-up of photochemical processes constitute a particular challenge in a manufacturing environment geared primarily toward thermal chemistry. In this work, we present a versatile flow-based robotic platform to address these challenges through the integration of readily available hardware and custom software....

The optimization, intensification, and scaling up of chemical processes are essential and time-consuming aspects of contemporary chemical manufacturing, necessitating expertise and precision due to their intricate and sensitive nature. However, these process development problems are often carried out independently and consecutively, which can exace...

Photocatalytic hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) processes have been the object of numerous studies showcasing the potential of the homogeneous photocatalyst tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) for the functionalization of C(sp3)-H bonds. However, to translate these studies into large-scale industrial processes, careful considerations of catalyst...

The functionalization of aryl C(sp²)−H bonds is a useful strategy for the late‐stage modification of biologically active molecules, especially for the regioselective introduction of azole heterocycles to prepare medicinally‐relevant compounds. Herein, we describe a practical photocatalytic transformation using a mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg‐CNx)...

The handling of solid reagents, catalysts and by-products is a daunting challenge in continuous-flow micro- and milli-reactors. Suspensions tend to settle over time leading to irrevocable clogging of the reaction channels. Herein, we describe our efforts to develop an ultrasonic milli-reactor which can handle such challenging solid-containing trans...

Continuous-flow microreactor technology has been embraced by researchers in academia and industry due to its excellent transport properties and the increased safety and control over challenging chemical transformations. Despite its popularity, scaling the benefits associated with the microenvironment has proven to be a daunting challenge. This revi...

Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) has emerged as an efficient and versatile photocatalyst for hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) processes, which enables the cleavage of both activated and unactivated aliphatic C–H bonds. Using a recently developed oscillatory milli-structured continuous-flow photoreactor, investigations of a decatungstate-catalyz...

Pseudoionone (PI) is a well-known and widely used precursor for ionones, which have been substantially applied in flavor, fragrance and pharmaceutical industry. The phase behavior in respect to the synthesis of PI was investigated through the combination of simulation and experiment to better understand the reaction process. A continuous-flow micro...

The kinetics and mass transfer characteristics of the nitration of trifluoromethoxybenzene (TFMB) by mixed acid were investigated in microchannel reactors. By assuming intrinsic reaction as the rate determining step, a quasi-homogeneous reaction kinetic model was proposed and utilized to calculate the observed rate constant. The intrinsic rate cons...

The effects of ultrasound on the hydrodynamic and mass transfer behaviors of immiscible liquid-liquid two-phase flow were investigated in a domestic ultrasonic microreactor. Under ultrasonic irradiation, cavitation bubble was generated and underwent violent oscillation. Emulsification of immiscible phases was initiated by virtue of oscillating bubb...

In this work, continuous flow nitration of trifluoromethoxybenzene (TFMB) was conducted in a microchannel reactor. The effect of process parameters, including temperature, residence time, sulfuric acid strength, flow rate and reactor structure, were systemically investigated. It was found that the aforementioned process parameters had significant e...