Uniqsis Describes Optimization and Scale-up with its FlowSyn™ Continuous Flow Reactor

Uniqsis Ltd has described easy scale-up without re-optimization using a new micro-reactor is described in an Applications Note. A FlowSyn™ Continuous Flow Reactor equipped with Exchangeable Micro Reactor Technology, or EMRT, was used to optimize a SNAr reaction, followed by immediate scale-up with no need for additional optimization.

EMRT employs a compact, coiled reactor design (patent pending) with controllability that makes it possible to closely duplicate reaction conditions in different reaction volumes. Temperatures, pressures and flows can be independently controlled, so reaction parameters can be adjusted for optimization.

In this case, the reaction was conducted at fixed pressure and flow rate over a range of temperatures from 40°C to 160°C. Once the optimum temperature was established, an 8-fold scale up was achieved without further experimentation by simply changing to a larger coil reactor and proportionally adjusting the flow rate to obtain an equivalent reaction time.

Depending on the reactor material used, temperatures and pressures up to 200ºC and 50 bar can be employed. Uniqsis CEO Martyn Fordham said: “EMRT allows reactions to be run under microwave-like conditions in a flow reactor, but under tighter control, so optimization and scale-up become much more straightforward.”

The FlowSyn Continuous Flow Reactor claims to be the first commercial system to fully integrate all the essential elements for continuous flow.