Chapter 3. Organometallic Chemistry in Flow in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organometallic chemistry has been an important tool in the pharmaceutical sector since the 19th century. However, there are still limitations in terms of price and toxicity of the metals as well as safety concerns related to the special conditions required to handle them. Flow chemistry has appeared as a valuable tool to overcome such limitations. The current chapter will show how this new technology is helping chemist to handle this class of reagents, how new chemistries can be accessed and new reactions discovered. In this chapter it is shown how flow organometallic chemistry has proven its value within the pharmaceutical sector: From the discovery of new drugs through the accessibility of novel chemical space, to improved procedures to prepare API's improving safety and reducing associated costs.