Mettler Toledo has launched FlowIR, its newest Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy instrument. As one of the smallest FTIR instruments on the market FlowIR can be placed nearly anywhere along a reactor set-up.
The seamless integration of FlowIR into just about any home-built or commercially available flow chemistry synthesis system gives small-scale researchers control over flow reactions comparable to that of the largest manufacturing conglomerates, while allowing larger organisations to gather more data along complex multi-step reaction chains.
Because no special connections are required, FlowIR allows real-time flow chemistry monitoring at any point along a reaction chain. Multiple units along the reaction path in multi-step synthesis set-ups give critical feedback to allow ongoing reaction adjustments. The enhanced control over potentially volatile reactions enhances safety. Typically, fewer experiments are also required, because reagents or other materials can be added as needed. This eliminates the need to perform reactions repeatedly and results in less material used.
Additionally, FlowIR offers the typical FTIR benefit of requiring no sampling, which reduces opportunities for operator error while providing more accurate measurements. Dispersion and diffusion effects can be readily detected in solution so reagent streams can be added and steady state conditions reached faster.
FlowIR is also highly portable. Each unit weighs an easy-to-handle 6 lbs (2.8kg). Standard and readily available Ethernet TCP/IP connectors are used for communicating results to data gathering instruments for simplified reporting.
