FLOW CHEMISTRY
2 and / or 3 in MeOH
ReactlR
Gas-liquid separator
Pressure module
defined step sequences. This enables high-throughput catalyst screening, multi-step reaction optimisation and simultaneous parallel syntheses under entirely unattended operation.
Because the software synchronises independent flow rates and reaction zones, researchers can design complex failover routines and transition smoothly from milligram optimisation to automated scale-up modelling, precisely mapping out continuous processing parameters before full plant deployment.
THS ReAction is engineered with an open framework and readily integrates proprietary and third-party analytical hardware. By placing in-line analytics, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy( FTIR) or nuclear magnetic resonance( NMR) flow cells, directly into the continuous fluid path, scientists can dynamically track real-time reaction kinetics, conversion metrics and steady-state conditions as needed.
Configuration example
The H-Cube * Advance generates ≥99.9 % pure H 2 by water electrolysis, eliminating high-pressure gas cylinders. It operates from 0 ° C up to 150 ° C and up to 100 bar, with an integrated mass flow controller for precise dosing of H 2 or external gases such as CO, CO 2 and ethylene. Its CatCart * reactor zone and 29.5 cm touch-screen enable simple gas-liquid reaction screening.
The Phoenix flow reactor extends operating conditions to 450 ° C and 200 bar. Its 250 x 50 mm heating zone accepts interchangeable heterogeneous catalyst columns for
Phoenix II flow reactor
Figure 1- Instrumentation for reduction of nitroquinoline
Gas-liquid mixer
H-genie II
HPLC pump
1 in MeOH
mg-to-kg processing or homogeneous stainless steel and Hastelloy loops.
Motorised back-pressure regulators provide reliable pressure control in multiphase systems. Available as stand-alone modules, they are also integrated into the H-Cube Advance. Both reactors are modular, plug-andplay units compatible with larger instrument fleets under unified control.
The H-Genie supplies ≥99.99 % pure H 2 to flow or batch systems at up to 100 bar and 1000 NmL / min. Built-in hydrogen sensors, waterquality monitoring and automated safety features make it a practical alternative to laboratory gas cylinders. In comparison, the H-Cube Advance provides on-demand H 2 at up to 70 NmL / min. All ThalesNano hydrogenation platforms can generate D 2 by replacing water with D 2
O. Gas-liquid mixing is handled by the mixer module, which uses a high-density titanium frit to combine fluid phases under pressure.
Third-party elements, such as Magritek Spinsolve NMRs, Mettler Toledo’ s ReactIR, Brooks Autosamplers, and Zaiput phase
separators, tie the downstream product analysis and phase-handling together to yield a complete automated continuous flow synthetic platform with real-time conversion monitoring.
The individual reactors and instruments serve as modular building blocks for a wide variety of different system configurations. Researchers and process development experts can utilise these tailor-made set-ups in a fully automated manner while receiving real-time data during in situ chemical analysis, streamlining workflows across the board.
In the following real-life examples, we demonstrate how various FlowChemFleet configurations empower synthetic chemists to resolve complex process bottlenecks and safety challenges present in traditional everyday organic synthesis.
Case study 1
Optimising reaction conditions in traditional round-bottom flasks is notoriously slow, typically requiring 20 to 30 individual batch setups and tedious, delayed offline analysis( like HPLC or NMR) whilst needing high pressures, hydrogen and possibly pyrophoric catalyst in the mix, which even furthers the burden of these chemical reactions.
In contrast to conventional methods, automated FlowChemFleet platforms compress this workflow. By pairing automated flow reactors with in-line IR( ReactIR) spectroscopy and closedloop Bayesian optimisation algorithms,
Figure 2- IR spectra for reduction of nitroquinoline
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