A universal reactor platform for batch and flow: application to homogeneous and heterogeneous hydrogenation

Abstract

An array of miniature 1.7 mL, 9 bar pressure-rated continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) have been developed and used to determine optimal hydrogenation conditions in batch, before being reconfigured to carry out the hydrogenation in continuous flow. On-line pressure measurement was used to give direct mass transfer kinetics. The system has been tested using benchmark heterogeneous and homogenous reactions in batch and flow. The simplicity of the system enables chemists to overcome problems that are associated with carrying-out pressure hydrogenations.