Special Asynt Drysyn heating blocks are being used by a research group at Glasgow University's chemistry department to prepare quality crystals for study by X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques.
This group, part of the Westchem Research School led by Prof Chick Wilson, carries out chemistry research into the structure and properties of a wide range of molecular materials, with particular focus on hydrogen bonding.
Good quality crystals of the type required for many of the studies carried out in the Wilson Group have to be grown slowly under carefully controlled conditions, requiring close temperature control over periods sometimes extending to several weeks.
This can be difficult using conventional water baths, not least because of evaporation.
Because of the time factor, it is also more efficient to grow many crystals simultaneously, in parallel.
Asynt said that its Drysyn heating blocks are used in chemistry laboratories worldwide as a safer, more convenient alternative to oil and water baths.
In the Glasgow laboratory several units, some custom made for the research group's applications to hold up to 24 vessels each, are used in parallel at different temperatures.
Dr Lynne Thomas, a senior researcher in the Wilson Research Group, was involved in the specifications and application of the multi-well heating blocks.
'The Asynt heating blocks and the customised capabilities for re-crystallisation offer the flexibility we need and are the ideal solution for our low/medium throughput crystallisation needs,' she said.
Drysyn systems are available for single or multiple reaction vessels with volumes from 1ml to 5,000ml.
They are all said to combine a small footprint with excellent reaction visibility.
All models are fully compatible with magnetic stirring, or the Vortex overhead stirrer system can provide directly driven stirring for up to three flasks, improving performance with viscous mixtures and largely eliminating the grinding effects that can occur with magnetic stirrers on solids, especially crystals.
