Uniqsis reports how chemists at the School of Pharmacy, University College London (UK) have been using a FlowSyn™ continuous flow reactor system.
Flow chemistry is an ideal approach to chemical synthesis where reactions can readily be optimised via simple iterations and can easily be scaled up. However, one of the challenges are the associated costs and fixed formats of the reactors themselves. As such, the Hilton Research Group within the UCL School of Pharmacy sought to purchase a flexible continuous flow system that could be readily integrated with 3D printed reactors.
Dr Stephen Hilton, head of the research group said, “The FlowSyn™ flow reactor was ideal for our needs due to its flexibility, robustness and in particular, the excellent technical support from the Uniqsis team. Their expertise and advice made the purchase straightforward and through ongoing communications have enabled us to readily integrate our novel 3D printed reactor chips into continuous flow. Without their excellent support, the reactors would have taken much longer to develop and we wouldn’t be where we are now”.
Dr Hilton added “One of the challenges of developing and integrating 3D printed reactors into continuous flow synthesis has been the poor solvent compatibility of standard 3D printed plastics such as ABS and PLA. As such, we needed to work with polypropylene which has been traditionally hard to 3D print due to its tendency to produce poorly resolved objects. Via an iterative approach using an Ultimaker 3D printer, we developed a facile process to 3D print solid, solvent-resistant objects. Once this had been achieved, the next step was to design and print a reactor which would fit within the glass column compartment of the Uniqsis continuous flow reactor. The columns are low cost, optimised for the Uniqsis flow reactor and can be readily modified, making them ideal for exploration of a range of reactions. Using the glass column compartment, they can be heated to 150 °C. As such, it is ideal for a range of reactions and is compatible for a number of solvents ranging from chlorinated through to DMF”.
Using the FlowSyn™ system and 3D printed reactor chips – Hilton Group research chemists have been developing a continuous flow approach to the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. The flexibility and ease of use of the FlowSyn system has enabled rapid reaction optimisation.
The FlowSyn™ from Uniqsis is a compact integrated continuous flow reactor system designed for easy, safe and efficient operation. The FlowSyn™ range includes models for performing single or multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous reactions, either manually or automatically. The range of chemistries that can be explored with Uniqsis’ integrated and modular flow chemistry systems grows ever wider and is exemplified by the growing number of applications published both in the academic press and in Uniqsis’ own application notes. Typical examples of flow chemistry applications include hydrogenation, nitration, bromination, metalation, molecular rearrangements and synthesis of compounds such as dihyropyridine, indole, pyrazole, quinolinone and benzimidazole.
For further information on the FlowSyn™ system please visit https://www.uniqsis.com/paProductsDetail.aspx?ID=FLW_SYN or contact Uniqsis on +44-845-864-7747 / [email protected].
The Hilton Group has been based at UCL School of Pharmacy since 2008 and has a strong background in both medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry. More recently, the research direction of the group has moved into the area of 3D printing and an exploration of its potential applications across both Chemistry and Pharmacy. This involves collaborative projects with both academia and industry, covering not only personalised medicine, but also the development of novel approaches to chemical synthesis using advanced materials and technology. This involves the synergistic linking of flow chemistry to 3D printing. As such, it is highly applicable to continuous flow, where reactions can readily be optimised via simple modification of reaction flow paths and reactor design. For further information, please visit www.stephen-hilton.com
Since 2007, Uniqsis has specialised in the design and supply of mesoscale continuous flow chemistry systems for a wide range of applications in chemical and pharmaceutical research. The company’s aim is to make flow chemistry easily accessible to both novices and experienced users.
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Further Information:
Uniqsis Ltd
29 Station Road
Shepreth
Cambridgeshire CB7 5RJ
UK
tel: +44-845-864-7747
email: [email protected]
web: www.uniqsis.com
