Wang, SimengPanayides, Jenny-LeeRiley, Darren LyallTighe, Christopher J.Hellgardt, KlausHii, King Kuok (Mimi)Miller, Philip W.2022-12-012022-12-012021-09Wang, S., Panayides, J.-L., Riley, D. et al. 2021, 'Rapid formation of 2-lithio-1-(triphenylmethyl)imidazole and substitution reactions in flow', Reaction Chemistry and Engineering, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 2018-2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RE00343G.2058-9883 (online)10.1039/D1RE00343Ghttps://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/88586The functionalisation of imidazoles is a necessary step in the formation of many active pharmaceutical intermediates. Herein, we report a flow chemistry approach for the rapid and efficient formation of 2-lithio-1-(triphenylmethyl)imidazole at ambient temperature and its reaction with a range of electrophiles, achieving modest to high yields (40–94%) in short reaction times (<1 min). The method is amenable to the scale-up of this highly reactive lithio-imidazole intermediate.en© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021Rapid formationEfficient formation2-lithio-1-(triphenylmethyl)imidazoleSubstitution reactionsFlowPostprint Article