Under Pressure? React Fast!

Chemical reaction speeds of over 10 times faster than normal are now possible with the new Pressurisation Module for the AFRICA (Automated Flow Reaction Incubation and Control Apparatus) flow microreactor. Flow chemistry carried out in a glass microreactor allows efficient, rapid and precisely repeatable routes to method development and reaction optimisation. The new module, from chemistry productivity tools company Syrris, allows reactions to take place at elevated pressure, enabling them to run at much higher temperature without the solvent boiling. Acetonitrile, e.g., normally boils at 80°C. However it can be safely used at 150°C, and as reaction rates double with each 10°C rise, tenfold speed increases are achievable. The elevated pressure also aids in the dissolution of gases that may have evolved during the course of the reaction, enabling a wider range of chemistries to be accessible. Further additions to the AFRICA system are planned in 2005, including a module that allows fully automated closed-loop optimisation of reactions.