Important Information About Flow Chemistry
Flow chemistry can also be referred to as plug flows or microchemistry. A chemical reaction run in a pipe or a tube is known as a flow chemistry The process involves pumping reactive components together at a mixing junction and then following down a temperature controlled pipe or a tube. The fluids in a pipe or a tube are moved in the pumps and where the tubes join one another fluids get into contact with each other. Flow chemistry is achieved in a flow reactor which is a device in which chemical reactions take place in micro channels. Large companies in manufacturing can largely and effectively use flow chemistry.
Among the major advantages of flow chemistry, one of its major ones is that it offers faster reactions. Since flow reactors can be easily pressurized then this will allow the reactions to heated 100 to 150 degrees above normal boiling points thus creating reaction rates that are 1000 times faster, this whole process is known as super-heating. Secondly cleaner products are achieved by when flow reactors enable excellent reaction selectivity. The surface area to volume ratio is increased by rapid diffusion thus enabling instantaneous heating or cooling, therefore, offering ultimate temperature control. Excellent control of exotherms is allowed when flow chemistry allows only a small amount of hazardous intermediate to be formed. flow will focus on concentration of flow reagents and their ratio of their flow rate, unlike batch which focuses on the concentration of chemical reagents and their volumetric ratio.
Reaction products can be analyzed in line or by sampler or diluter since they exist in a flow reactor and can be flowed into an aqueous flow work up a system. Plug flows offer rapid reaction optimization by enabling quick variations of reactions condition on a tiny scale which can be achieved with automation. By maintaining excellent mixing and heat transfer scale-up issues are also minimized. Reaction conditions not possible in the batch such as a five-second reaction at 250 degrees will be enabled by flow chemistry. Multistep procedure such as rapid, low-temperature deprotonation followed by instant addition of electrophile high temperature is made possible.
One of the biggest examples of flow chemistry is syrris. Other types of flow chemistry reactors are spinning disk reactors, spinning tube reactors, multicell flow reactors and oscillatory flow reactors. Variety of flow chemistry notes and reactions using flow chemistry systems are demonstrated by range of resources in syrris. The flow chemistry has a few drawbacks among the being it requires dedicated equipment for precious continuous dosing. start up and shut up times must also be established for the chemistry flow process to be effective.
