Solid phase reactions go with the flow

A UK-based creator of automation products for the chemicals sector, Syrris, has produced a new flow chemistry microreactor module that will give development chemists greater control over a wider set of reactions.

The new solid phase module, called Flow Factory, is to be introduced in the second quarter of 2006 for use with the company's AFRICA flow chemistry micro-reactor. Designed for reaction optimisation in both medicinal and process chemistry, it enables multiple reactions to be completed much faster and in a more controlled way than standard methods.

Developed in collaboration with Cambridge University's Department of Chemistry and a major pharma company, the latest module extends the capability of the existing system by allowing the use of heterogeneous catalysts, solid supported reagents and scavengers in a flow environment. With capacity for up to eight reaction steps, each with independent temperature control, the Flow Factory allows chemists to run multiple reactions from one set up.