Cooled Flow Chemistry Breakthrough

Vapourtec announce a new module for the popular R Series Flow Chemistry Platform. The cooled reactor module permits flow reactions to be precisely controlled at temperatures down to -70C and yet does not require the use of additional recirculating chiller.

The system uses dry ice combined with Vapourtec’s unique forced convection system to control reaction temperatures from ambient down to -70C with +/- 0.5 degree accuracy.

Reagents are pre-cooled to target temperature before mixing and the mixer itself is located within the cooled zone. There is also a ‘postmixer’ to enable inline quenching before leaving the cooled zone if required. One R Series platform can have up to two separate cooled reactors (independently controlled at  different temperatures if required). Novel use of insulation prevents the build up of ice, and yet the reaction is visible in the PFA reactor tube via a viewing window.

Vapourtec’s Duncan Guthrie, explained: "Our research told us that many labs don’t have the space or even the budget for a large two stage recirculating chiller capable of cooling a typical flow reaction to temperatures this low. So the Vapourtec solution builds on the heat transfer technology that was developed for our very first flow reactor module, giving a solution that is clean, compact, affordable, easy to use and yet remarkably effective."