The role of neat substrates in phase-vanishing and tandem phase-vanishing reactions

Phase-vanishing reactions are triphasic reactions, which involve a reagent, a liquid perfluoroalkane as a phase screen and a substrate. Aromatization, isomerization and halogenation of neat substrates under phase-vanishing conditions gave the expected products in good to excellent yields. In tandem single-phase–phase-vanishing reaction, two reactants, placed in the top phase, afforded the intermediate, which in a subsequent phase-vanishing reaction reacted with the reagent from the bottom phase to give the final product. The reaction worked well under solvent-free conditions on liquid substrates and intermediates. With solids, results were better if an additional solvent was employed.