Scalable data from multi-reactor (parallel) systems is possible with careful attention to design, especially in relation to temperature, agitation and liquid dosing control
Polyblock is a unique platform that offers a combination of versatility and quality, says HEL.
There a two designs - the PB8 and PB4 - offering eight and four independent reaction zones with reactor working volumes from 1ml to over 350ml (with possibility of up to 500ml).
Temperature control is totally independent and excellent control of ramps and constant values.
The different zones can cover a range of over 100C at the same time - with an overall range of below -60C to over 250C.
Reactor mixing has also been carefully designed, allowing low and high viscosity liquids as well as multi-phase mixtures (solid-liquid- gas) to be stirred using mechanical stirrers on central shafts.
Even vials down to 10ml in volume can be stirred in this way.
High and low pressure applications can be supported, allowing for example hydrogenations to be studied in parallel at a range of scales.
Applications can be expanded to include manual or automated features external to the Polyblock.
Thus for hydrogenation units, valving to permit easy purging, pressurisation and then depressurisation is commonly provided as well as software to calculate the hydrogen consumption as the experiment proceeds.
This vastly increases the value of the system.
Other common extensions include the addition of pH and liquid dosing so that a complete process parallel development platform is created.
Another important application is crystallisation - many Polyblock units are fitted with turbidity measurement so that solubility and metastable zone width (MSZW) data can be automatically and quickly obtained.
An important part of the functionality is the operating software - the ease with which chemists can use it and the data that can be obtained.
Simply by clicking on the zone mimic it is possible to enter the necessary controls - temperature, agitation, dosing - indeed any features that are included.
Live data is constantly displayed on the mimic and graphically.
The data can be exported excel type packages or simply copied to the clip-board.
