A novel approach is reported for the enantioselective flow synthesis of rolipram comprising a telescoped asymmetric conjugate addition−oxidative aldehyde esterification sequence followed by trichlorosilane-mediated nitro group reduction and concomitant lactamization. The telescoped process takes advantage of a polystyrenesupported chiral organocatalyst along with in situ-generated persulfuric acid as a robust and scalable oxidant for direct aldehyde esterification. This approach demonstrates significantly improved productivity compared with earlier methodologies while ensuring environmentally benign metal-free conditions.
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