Unique New High-Performance Flow Reactor

A novel new micro-reactor, now available for the FlowSyn™ reaction system recently launched by Uniqsis Ltd of Cambridge, is claimed to offer major improvements in reproducibility and performance compared with conventional flow reactor designs.

Exchangeable Micro Reactor Technology, or EMRT, employs a compact, coiled reactor (patent pending) with excellent controllability that makes it possible to closely reproduce reaction conditions in different reaction volumes. Modular design makes it simple to interchange reactors with different volumes and materials – stainless steel, PTFE or PEEK, and in future glass and various specialised materials.

Depending on the reactor material, temperatures and pressures up to 200ºC and 50 bar can be used. Uniqsis CEO Martyn Fordham said: “Temperatures, pressures and flows can be very accurately controlled, so reaction conditions are easily reproduced. EMRT allows microwave-like conditions to be created easily in a flow reactor, but under better control. Another advantage of this technology is that heat transfer is very rapid, so safety is significantly improved, especially with those unexpected exotherms!”

The FlowSyn Continuous Flow Reactor claims to be the first commercial system to fully integrate all the essential elements for continuous flow chemistry into a single, easy to use package. FlowSyn is simple to set up and operate and offers safe, unattended operation for tasks such as synthesis, reaction optimisation and scale up experiments, in quantities from milligrams to hundreds of grams.