The desire to develop new and improved chemical processes that optimise resource usage has resulted in intensive work towards the development of continuous flow reactors. Fast optimisation of these systems can be a difficult, repetitive and time-consuming process due to the time taken to analyse off-line samples. Mettler Toledo’s ReactIR™ coupled to a DS Micro Flow Cell is the ideal way to dramatically reduce the time taken to optimize these systems.
benefits of flow chemistry
Modern flow reactors have many advantages over traditional batch reactors. Reaction conditions that may be challenging to achieve in a batch reactor can be easier and safer to realise and operate in a flow reactor.
For example, a reaction where the temperature far exceeds the boiling point of the solvent can be easily run due to the flow reactor’s ability to contain pressure. This, coupled with the improved mixing properties of a flow reactor, gives a greater choice of conditions and reagents, allowing flow reactors to deliver products with better yields and fewer impurities.
challenging task
The fast optimisation of a chemical reaction using a flow reactor is not always simple. It is a repetitive process where conditions and flow rates are altered, a sample collected and an offline analysis performed. Clearly, a more optimised approach would be to provide instant feedback to changes made, providing faster and easier optimisation.
A recent collaboration with Professor Steven Ley at the University of Cambridge has resulted in the development of a reliable solution to quickly and easily optimise a flow reaction system. A DS Micro Flow Cell, coupled to a ReactIR instrument, makes the real time optimisation of a flow reactor a reality. Control parameters can be adjusted and the ReactIR system immediately measures the impact of those changes.