diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 71bdbe2982bc989a196e83bf434180da255216db..fd294d1e462f55fe91fdde46f63999ba464e47c1 100755
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -83,8 +83,6 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(debug,
   	debuger="$enableval"
 )
 
-
-
 AC_MSG_RESULT($debuger)
 if test x"$debuger" = x"yes"; then
 	AC_DEFINE([DEBUG_MODE],[],[Debug])
@@ -255,6 +253,19 @@ AX_SUITESPARSE([],[echo "suitesparse not found"
 AX_EIGEN([],[echo "eigen not found"
                     exit 206])
 
+###### Checking for compiler flags -fext-numeric-literals
+
+my_save_cflags="$CFLAGS"
+CFLAGS=-fext-numeric-literals
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether CXX supports -fext-numeric-literals])
+AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([])],
+    [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])]
+    [AM_CXXFLAGS=-fext-numeric-literals],
+    [AC_MSG_RESULT([no])]
+)
+CFLAGS="$my_save_cflags"
+AC_SUBST([AM_CXXFLAGS])
+
 ####### Checking for GPU support
 
 AX_CUDA
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 9b0f1961b58bf9dc1eb8be608d53bb92fbb2a9a1..26c9aab16dcb8d03925f4eba91e0a4369f25f621 100755
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ LINKLIBS =  $(SUITESPARSE_LIBS) $(LAPACK_LIBS) $(BLAS_LIBS)  $(METIS_LIB) $(PARM
 
 noinst_PROGRAMS = numerics
 numerics_SOURCES = main.cpp ../../openfpm_vcluster/src/VCluster.cpp ../../openfpm_devices/src/memory/HeapMemory.cpp ../../openfpm_devices/src/memory/PtrMemory.cpp ../../openfpm_devices/src/Memleak_check.cpp
-numerics_CXXFLAGS = $(HDF5_CPPFLAGS) -fext-numeric-literals $(INCLUDES_PATH) $(BOOST_CPPFLAGS) $(SUITESPARSE_INCLUDE) $(METIS_INCLUDE) $(PARMETIS_INCLUDE)  $(EIGEN_INCLUDE) -Wno-deprecated-declarations -Wno-unused-local-typedefs
+numerics_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) $(HDF5_CPPFLAGS) $(INCLUDES_PATH) $(BOOST_CPPFLAGS) $(SUITESPARSE_INCLUDE) $(METIS_INCLUDE) $(PARMETIS_INCLUDE)  $(EIGEN_INCLUDE) -Wno-deprecated-declarations -Wno-unused-local-typedefs
 numerics_CFLAGS = $(CUDA_CFLAGS)
 numerics_LDADD = $(LINKLIBS) -lmetis -lquadmath -lparmetis
 nobase_include_HEADERS = PSE/Kernels.hpp PSE/Kernels_test_util.hpp