Flow chemistry control software saves time and reagents

One of the great attractions of flow chemistry is how well it potentially lends itself to automated unattended running, enabling optimisation across a large range of reaction parameters to be carried out automatically while the chemist does other things.

Vapourtec's new Flow Commander control software, used with a Vapourtec R Series flow chemistry platform, makes this promise a reality.

Flow Commander enables the user to rapidly specify the key parameters of a reaction (stoichimetric ratios, reactor residence time, temperatures), from which it calculates all flows and time points.
It will then control the R Series flow chemistry system throughout the whole reaction sequence, capturing the specified amount of product from each reaction in the specified fraction collector locations.

Defining the experimental setup takes less than a minute, then defining each set of reaction parameters takes well under 30 seconds. In a few minutes, reactions covering the whole parameter workspace of interest can be scheduled.

(There are typically 50 or more separate timed control actions per reaction, so this kind of productivity and reagent efficiency is very difficult to achieve with a system controlled manually).

The software even models the dispersion that takes place at the leading and trailing ends of a “plug” of liquid as it passes through a small bore tube reactor and allows for that when determining when to collect the fraction. This allows the user to optimise use of expensive reagents while ensuring all fractions collected contain good product free of “end effects”.

Once a sequence of reactions has been defined, the software advises the total amount of solvent and reagents that will be required to complete the sequence. The system can then be loaded up and left to run unattended for as long as required (the system features both bubble detection and over pressure protection so is completely safe to walk away from, even with highly exothermic reactions).

Using FlowCommander to help optimise parameters, a user can rapidly move from a batch reaction taking several hours to a continuous flow reaction with a residence time of a few minutes.
Flow Commander software also allows the user to log and save reactions, generate reports, and share reaction set-up with other users, or to simply observe the system running from another location (e.g. from the office) via the network.