Synthesis of 2H-indazoles via the Cadogan reaction in batch and flow mode

Abstract A continuous flow protocol is reported for the synthesis of 2H-indazoles via the thermal Cadogan reaction. Triethyl phosphite serves as a readily available deoxygenation reagent providing a facile entry to a series of drug-like 2H-indazoles in high chemical yields. Compared to an analogous batch approach, the flow process was advantageous as it provides for a contained environment where boiling of the reagent is suppressed by using a back-pressure regulator (BPR) which in turn leads to faster kinetics. Straightforward scale-up provided multi-gram quantities of 2H-indazoles whose further functionalisation via light-driven and regiospecific acetylation was demonstrated in flow mode.