Comprehensive product range
Vapourtec manufacture two series of flow chemistry systems:
- E-Series; an easy-to-use entry-level system, capable of pumping organometallics, strong acids, and slurries.
- R-Series; a highly specified modular system capable of either standalone operation or integration with other equipment to provide versatile automated flow chemistry.
Both families of flow chemistry systems share many features, our “Why Vapourtec?” section below will focus on the important features of our flagship product, the R-Series.
Flexibility
The truth is that many users who are new to flow chemistry don’t really know what they will be doing in flow in 2 years’ time.
The Vapourtec R-Series offers the flexibility to start small and expand later as and when needs dictate.
- Up to 4 reactors (column, micromixer chip, photochemical, tube, all either heated or cooled,) can be used with one R4 reactor module.
- Adaptable. Select the combination of reactor modules to suit your needs. Add more later if required.
- Up to 8 reagent inputs for multi step synthesis. Want to perform a multi-step reaction with more reagents added at intervals? Want to quench that cooled reaction before it leaves the cooled zone? With Vapourtec, adding pumps is straightforward, and full automated control is retained over all pumps, as well as peak matching to minimise the usage of valuable reagents.
- A variety of pump options. Standard stainless steel, fully acid resistant, high pressure (200 bar), high flow (up to 50 ml/min), suspension, and slurry capable. All pumps have “plug and play” connectivity.
- All backwardly compatible. New capabilities are constantly being introduced, but they are all compatible with even the earliest Vapourtec systems purchased in 2007.
The R-Series really is the system you won’t outgrow.
Success in scientific publications
The Vapourtec Publications page lists over 1,218 peer reviewed papers featuring work done on the Vapourtec systems. More than twice the number of publications compared with Vapourtec’s closest competitor. Why do users of Vapourtec systems publish disproportionately more successful research than users of other systems?
There are certain features of the Vapourtec that help:
- The system is flexible and can adapt to the changing needs of their research.
- The system is highly productive, allowing each user to get more done.
- Vapourtec offers best-in-class accuracy of flow and temperature control ensuring repeatability of results.
- The system is reliable and easy to use. Users spend their time thinking about the chemistry, not the system.
Success in global product support
Vapourtec together with our distribution partners is supporting 1,000+ flow chemistry systems installed worldwide. Our Service Department based in the UK prides itself on offering rapid response and solutions whether the customer is in the USA, Canada, South America, Australasia, Europe, or the UK.
UV & IR triggered peak collection
The Vapourtec R-Series software features the facility to ensure the correct collection of the reagent peak when the plug of reagents passes through. This is achieved through a computer model which predicts the axial dispersion that takes place with tube reactors so that it is possible to automatically collect the steady state part of the reaction product peak when it emerges from the reactor.
But some situations (e.g. packed columns) cannot always be perfectly modeled because different column contents cause different levels of dispersion. With the R-Series, it is possible to add an on-line sensor (UV or FTIR) to automatically trigger the collection of peaks. Logging of data from UV or FTIR sensors is fully integrated with Vapourtec’s R-Series software.
Cooled reactions
The R-Series cooled reactor enables reactions to be run at temperatures down to -70°C, in a compact system that requires no additional recirculating chiller.
Points to note:
- You can run two cooled reactors at different temperatures.
- It’s simple, cost effective, and compact.
- It’s fast, down to -70°C from an ambient standing start in approx 16 mins.
To find out more visit the cooled reactor page
Strong acid resistance
The R-Series is the only mesoscale system available with the proven capability of complete strong acid resistance throughout the entire flow path. This enables it to be used for nitrations with fuming nitric acid, for example, but with no compromising on pressure capability.
This capability was introduced by Vapourtec in November 2009, today there are more than 700 acid-resistant Vapourtec systems installed worldwide.
Click here to read more on Acid resistant pumping options
Photochemical reactions
Both R-Series and E-Series systems can be fitted with the innovative UV-150 photochemical reactor. Photochemistry is a powerful yet under-utilised synthetic technique. Recently there has been a resurgence in interest in photochemistry due to its ability to provide novel structures and alternative, greener synthetic routes. In developing the photochemical reactors, Vapourtec’s aim was to bring photochemistry out of the hands of dedicated expert users and make the technique easily and safely available for synthetic chemists.
Click here to read more about Vapourtec’s photochemical reactor
Click here to read more about Vapourtec’s photochemical reactor
Automated control without limits
With Vapourtec R-Series software, the R-Series system becomes a fully integrated automated platform, which is extremely powerful, yet quick and easy to set up.
Any number of reactions can be queued for unattended execution.
And it can grow to suit your needs – additional equipment such as UV / FTIR sensors, external reactors or recirculating chillers, fraction collectors, and autosamplers are all supported, and the software takes care of all calculation, set up, and sequencing.
Modular System – grows with your needs
The Vapourtec R-Series can be expanded step by step, as your requirements change. Start with a basic stand-alone system, and work up if required to a fully automated integrated reaction optimisation system.
Every new capability that has been launched since the R-Series first became available has been backwardly compatible. None of your investment along the way is ever wasted.
Click here to see more Vapourtec expansion options
Reaction visibility and heat transfer
The Vapourtec system has a novel method of reactor heating (and cooling) for both column, micromixer chip, photochemical and tube reactors which means that:
- The reaction is visible at all times
- Reactors can be changed quickly and easily with no messy heat transfer fluid
- The rate of heat transfer in or out of the reaction is particularly high, meaning
- greater control of exothermic reactions,
- much faster transition between temperature set points
- faster return to handling temperatures after completion of reactions at very high temperatures.
- Temperature control is precise (+/- 1°C across the entire temperature range), as it is actually measured at the reactor wall. This means it is fully representative of the actual reagent temperature.
- There are no “hot spots” in the reactor. Every part of it is heated (or cooled) to the same temperature.
Pump performance monitoring
When using high pressure piston pumps, transient or static bubbles inside a pump or a small quantity of solids can cause an incorrect flow rate. But how would you know when it happened?
The Vapourtec system led the world with this pump monitoring technology, which has been present since the very first R-Series system left the factory.
To find out more visit pump performance in detail
Stability
Though new features and capabilities are continually being added, the core platform of the Vapourtec R-Series has been essentially unchanged for >4 years, and has been proven in many industrial and academic laboratories worldwide. Many chemists have returned to place repeat orders, and their feedback as users has enhanced the development of more features. The R-Series is stable, reliable, and well engineered.