Ohmic Heating: An Emerging Concept in Organic Synthesis

5 years ago

Ohmic Heating: An Emerging Concept in Organic Synthesis

Artur M. S. Silva, Vera L. M. Silva, Luis M. N. B. F. Santos

The ohmic heating also known as direct Joule heating, is an advanced thermal processing method, mainly used in the food industry to rapidly increase the temperature for either cooking or sterilization purposes. Its use in organic synthesis, in the heating of chemical reactors, is an emerging method that shows great potential, the development of which has started recently. This Concept article focuses on the use of ohmic heating as a new tool for organic synthesis. It presents the fundamentals of ohmic heating and makes a qualitative and quantitative comparison with other common heating methods. A brief description of the ohmic reactor prototype in operation is presented as well as recent examples of its use in organic synthesis at laboratory scale, thus showing the current state of the research. The advantages and limitations of this heating method, as well as its main current applications are also discussed. Finally, the prospects and potential implications of ohmic heating in future research in chemical synthesis are proposed. A really hot topic: This Concept article introduces ohmic heating as an outstanding process for sustainable chemical synthesis, in which heat is directly dissipated in a reaction medium, with high energy-efficiency, leading in most cases to shorter reaction times, higher yields and better selectivities. The fundamentals of ohmic heating are presented along with successful examples of organic reactions carried out using the ohmic heater that was developed specifically for chemical synthesis. Future research topics in this field are also highlighted.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/chem.201700307