Chemoselectivity goes with the flow

Japanese researchers have devised a flow microreactor to control the chemoselectivity of synthetic organic reactions. 

Chemoselective control of organic reactions is crucial for the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals. Existing methods of chemoselective control often involve the use of catalysts such as enzymes and metal complexes, which can be difficult to synthesise and often involve practical difficulties. Now, a team of scientists led by Mahito Atobe at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, have designed a micro-flow reactor that controls the chemoselectivity of a carbonyl allylation reaction between an allylic halide and an aldehyde.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemScience/Volume/2010/04/Chemoselectivity.asp