Innovative Reactor Heater For High-Precision, High-Speed Flow Chemistry

The development of synthesis by flow chemistry has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of an innovative, economical, and easy to use reactor heater. The system is many times faster in operation and more precise in temperature control than conventional approaches, says its British developer, Vapourtec Ltd.

The R-4 Flow Reactor Heater is the equivalent of a stirrer hotplate, but designed for flow chemistry applications in drug discovery. Its versatility meets chemists' needs for fast set-up times, while an intuitive user interface means precise, easy operation with minimal training.

The unit holds four reactors that are either tube or column type with volumes between 0.007 fl oz (0.2ml) and 0.507 fl oz (15ml) - either heterogeneous or homogeneous flow may be used. The design ensures that the whole working volume of each reactor can be seen at all times, and replacement reactors are simply plugged in when needed.

All four reactors can be heated simultaneously, each with independently targeted temperature. Settings and rates of temperature change can be programmed locally, or via an RS232 serial link, and automatically stored in non-volatile memory.

A heating process, which the company says is unique, ensures an even temperature distribution throughout the column or tube. Temperature change rates are programmable at up to 176°F/min (80°C); a typical response time from 86°F (30°C) to 302°F (150°C) is only three minutes.

A large-format LCD displays the temperature of each column, with an indicator to show when a reactor is heating, cooling, or at a steady state. The compact design means that it takes up little space on the laboratory bench, with the option of stacking multiple units.

SOURCE: Vapourtec Ltd