Continuous Flow Organic Chemistry: Successes and Pitfalls at the Interface with Current Societal Challenges

This review intends to provide the reader with a clear and concise overview of how preparative continuous flow organic chemistry could potentially impact on current important societal challenges. These societal challenges include health/well-being and sustainable development. Continuous flow chemistry has enabled significant advances for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, as well as for biomass valorization toward a biosourced chemical industry. Examples related to pharmaceutical production are herein focused on (a) the implementation of flow chemistry to reduce the occurrence of drug shortages, (b) continuous flow manufacturing of orphan drugs, (c) continuous flow preparation of active pharmaceuticals listed on the WHO list of essential medicines and (d) perspectives for the manufacturing of peptide-based pharmaceuticals. Examples related to sustainable development are focused on the valorization of biosourced platform molecules. Besides positive impacts on societal challenges, this review also illustrates some of the potentially most threatening perspectives of continuous flow technology within the actual context of terrorism and drug abuse.