Development of a small volume continuous process that used a combination of batch and flow unit operations to manufacture the small molecule oncolytic candidate merestinib is described. Continuous processing was enabled following the identification and development of suitable chemical transformations and unit operations. Aspects of the nascent process control strategy were evaluated in the context of a 20 kg laboratory demonstration campaign, executed in walk-in fume hoods at a throughput of 5–10 kg of active pharmaceutical ingredient per day. The process comprised an automated Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, a nitro-group hydrogenolysis, a continuous amide bond formation, and a continuous deprotection. Three of the four steps were purified using mixed-suspension, mixed-product removal crystallizations. Process analytical technology enabled real-time or nearly real-time process diagnostics. Findings from the demonstration campaign informed a second process development cycle as well as decision making for what steps to implement using continuous processing in a proximate manufacturing campaign, which will be described in part 2 of this series.

We report a general and rapid chemoselective Kumada-Tamao-Corriu (KTC) cross-coupling of aryl bromides in the presence of chlorides or triflates with functionalized Grignard reagents at 0 °C in 15 min by using Pd-PEPPSI-IPentCl (C4). Nucleophiles and electrophiles (or both) can contain Grignard-sensitive functional groups (-CN, -COOR, etc.). Control experiments together with DFT calculations suggest that transmetallation is rate limiting for the selective cross-coupling of Br in the presence of Cl/OTf with functionalized Grignard reagents. One-pot sequential KTC/KTC cross-couplings with bromo-chloro arenes have been demonstrated for the first time. We also report the one-pot sequential KTC/Negishi cross-couplings using C4 showcasing the versatility of this methodology.

Technology transfer of a small volume continuous (SVC) process and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) manufacturing of merestinib are described. A hybrid batch-SVC campaign was completed at a contract manufacturing organization under cGMP. The decision process by which unit operations were selected for implementation in flow for the cGMP campaign is discussed. The hybrid process comprised a Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, a nitro-group hydrogenolysis, a continuous amide bond formation, and a continuous deprotection. A continuous crystallization using two mixed suspension, mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizers and a filtration with in situ dissolution were employed for purification between the two SVC steps. Impurity levels were monitored using both online process analytical technology (PAT) and offline measurements. The continuous processing steps operated uninterrupted for 18 days to yield the drug substance in solution at a throughput of 12.5 kg/day. Crystallization in batch mode afforded 183 kg of the drug substance in specification. Success of the campaign was attributed to robustness of the control strategy and to the multiyear partnership in continuous manufacturing between the development organization and the contract manufacturer. Key learnings are offered from the perspectives of both the development organization and the contract manufacturer.

NaBHT (sodium butylated hydroxytoluene), a hindered and soluble base for the efficient arylation of various base-sensitive amines and (hetero)aryl halides has been found to have an unanticipated role as a hydride donor to reduce (hetero)aryl halides and allylic acetates. Mechanistic studies have uncovered that NaBHT, but not BHT, can deliver multiple hydrides through oxidation of the benzylic methyl group in NaBHT to the aldehyde. Further, performing the reduction with NaBHT-d20 has revealed that the redox-active benzylic position is not the only hydride donor site from NaBHT with one hydride in three coming, presumably, from the tert-butyl groups. The reduction works well under mild conditions and, incredibly, only consumes 20 percent of the NaBHT in the process; the remaining 80 percent can be readily recovered in pure form and reused. This, combined with the low cost of the material in ton-scale quantity, makes it practical and attractive for wider use in industry at scale.

A new synthesis of a key indazole-containing building block for the MET kinase inhibitor merestinib was designed and demonstrated. Crucial to the successful construction of the challenging indazole is an SNAr reaction, which forges the heterocyclic ring. Continuous processing was applied to two of the five steps: nitration of a benzaldehyde and high-temperature hydrolysis of an aniline to phenol. Compared to a highly developed historical route, the new route shows clear benefits in terms of product quality and potentially manufacturability and robustness.

A practical pilot plant convergent synthesis of MR antagonist LY2623091 was established. For synthesis convergence, a vinyl bromide geometric isomer and chiral alaninol derivative were required building blocks. Key to the synthesis route development is a stereoselective synthesis of the E-vinyl bromide via a sequential double Heck reaction, Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of the vinyl bromide, a selective nitro reduction, and a highly sensitive cyanamide hydrolysis to the urea. Improvements in yield and processing were accomplished by two sets of telescoping methods which decreased the manufacturing time and provided purity enhancements.

Boron-derived Lewis acids have been shown to effectively promote the coupling of amide nucleophiles to a wide variety of oxidative addition partners using Pd-NHC catalysts. Through a combination of NMR spectroscopy and control studies with and without oxygen and radical scavengers, we propose that boron-imidates form under the basic reaction conditions that aid coordination of nitrogen to Pd(II), which is rate limiting, and directly delivers the intermediate for reductive elimination.

Coupling of Ph3SiNH2 with aryl halides by using PdPEPPSI- IPent(Cl) {dichloro(3-chloropyridyl)[4,5-dichloro-1,3-bis(2,6-dipent- 3-ylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]palladium(II)} yields triphenylsilyl- protected anilines. These triphenylsilyl protected an-ilines can be isolated, alkylated without over-alkylation, and the protecting group can be removed under mild acidic conditions or in the presence of fluoride to afford the secondary aniline product.

While notable advances have been reported for the metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of bulky amines, to date no set of reported conditions has proven general for both hindered and unactivated primary and secondary amines. Examples that are reported with Pd catalysts invariably involve aggressive alkoxide bases in order to provide the necessary push required to couple these challenging substrates. Consequently, few, if any, base-sensitive functional groups (e.g., esters, ketones, cyano groups) are included in published reports involving such substrates. Herein we disclose the use of Pd-PEPPSI-IPent(Cl)3-chloropyridine precatalyst with the mild, yet soluble base sodium butylated hydroxytoluene (NaBHT) in one single protocol that can couple a broad scope of hindered and unactivated primary and secondary amines to produce functionalized products in high yields.

This study demonstrates the use of high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection for the direct detection and quantitation of palladium II. After evaluating the effects of buffer concentration and pH, the separation of cobalt II, copper I, copper II, nickel II, and palladium II was accomplished using a Chromolith (R) Performance SI monolithic column with a hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode gradient elution. Typical validation parameters were evaluated to assess the method's quantitative performance for palladium II which included specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, stability, and limit of detection. This technique provides a unique and practical alternative method for the accurate quantitation of palladium II. [GRAPHICS]

Herein we report the first example of (hetero)-arylation of ammonia using a monoligated palladium-NHC complex. The new, rationally designed, precatalyst (DiMeIHept(Cl))Pd(allyl)Cl featuring highly branched alkyl chains has been shown to be effective in selective aminations across a range of challenging substrates, including nitrogen containing heterocycles and those featuring base-sensitive functionality. The less bulky Pd-PEPPSI-IPent(Cl) precatalyst performs well for ortho-substituted aryl halides, giving monoarylated products in high yield with good selectivity.

Advances in drug potency and tailored therapeutics are promoting pharmaceutical manufacturing to transition from a traditional batch paradigm to more flexible continuous processing. Here we report the development of a multistep continuous-flow CGMP (current good manufacturing practices) process that produced 24 kilograms of prexasertib monolactate monohydrate suitable for use in human clinical trials. Eight continuous unit operations were conducted to produce the target at roughly 3 kilograms per day using small continuous reactors, extractors, evaporators, crystallizers, and filters in laboratory fume hoods. Success was enabled by advances in chemistry, engineering, analytical science, process modeling, and equipment design. Substantial technical and business drivers were identified, which merited the continuous process. The continuous process afforded improved performance and safety relative to batch processes and also improved containment of a highly potent compound.

A single-step method and a two-step method for the synthesis of aminopyrazoles from isoxazoles are presented and compared. Based on in situ NMR monitoring, both processes proceed through a ketonitrile. In the single-step process, hydrazine serves to both open the isoxazole to the unisolated ketonitrile intermediate and form the aminopyrazole. The two-step process involves ring opening of the isoxazole by deprotonation with hydroxide to generate the ketonitrile followed by the addition of acetic acid and hydrazine to form the aminopyrazole.

Dichloro[1,3-bis(2,6-di-4-heptylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene](3-chloropyridyl)palladium(II) (Pd-PEPPSI-IHept(Cl) ), a new, very bulky yet flexible Pd-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex has been evaluated in the cross-coupling of secondary alkylzinc reactants with a wide variety of oxidative addition partners in high yields and excellent selectivity. The desired, direct reductive elimination branched products were obtained with no sign of migratory insertion across electron-rich and electron-poor aromatics and all forms of heteroaromatics (five and six membered). Impressively, there is no impact of substituents at the site of reductive elimination (i.e., ortho or even di-ortho), which has not yet been demonstrated by another catalyst system to date.

A fully automated fill/empty reactor system for liquid-liquid biphasic Suzuki couplings is described. The system was capable of charging reactant and catalyst solutions to a heated vessel, heating reagent solutions by flow heat exchanger on the way into the reactor, allowing the reaction to occur, monitoring reaction completion, discharge of the product solution, and initiation of another cycle in a repeating fashion. A unique noncontact colorimetric method was used to monitor reaction completion. The reactor system exhibits many of the characteristics of a fully continuous reactor such as (1) high productivity from a small process footprint, (2) a large number of volume turnovers each day, (3) higher heat transfer area per unit volume compared to batch because the reactor is SOX smaller, and (4) rapid heat up and cool down of process streams enabled by heat exchangers. Downstream unit operations that are intended for eventual integrated end-to-end continuous production included a batch metal removal step and a continuous antisolvent crystallization to isolate the product in high yield and purity.

A robust, mild, and efficient method for the Pd-catalyzed N-heteroarylation of optically pure α-amino esters was developed. Dichloro[1,3-bis(2,6-di-3-pentylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene](o-picoline)palladium(II) (Pd-PEPPSI-IPentCl -o-picoline; PEPPSI=pyridine enhanced pre-catalyst preparation, stabilization, and initiation) was shown to effectively couple a variety of amino acids as the tert-butyl ester with heteroaryl chlorides in high yields and with excellent stereoretention of the acidic proton adjacent to the ester. Control experiments revealed that racemization is base-mediated, with no evidence of Pd-mediated β-hydride elimination when using Pd-PEPPSI-IPentCl , and that racemization occurs only after the product is formed, that is, the non-arylated starting amino ester does not deprotonate under our reaction conditions. Studies also revealed that increasing the steric bulk of the ester moiety on the amino acid (e.g., ethyl to tert-butyl) drastically slows racemization of the product.