There are at least four situations where high pump delivery pressures enable more flow chemistry to be explored.
- High temperatures with volatile solvents
- Continuous flow polymerization
- “Flash chemistry”
- Synthesis of ionic liquids
The most common of these is to achieve high reaction temperatures while using volatile solvents.
There are several situations where either volatile solvents, volatile reagents or dissolved gases are involved, and the permissible temperature is effectively limited by the available pressure. In these instances, a higher pressure capability permits the user to make the most of the available temperature capability.
For example:
– Dichloromethane at 250°C requires > 79 bar to prevent it from boiling in the reactor
– Ethanol at 250°C requires > 66 bar to prevent it from boiling in the reactor
Vapourtec offer a free chart showing what pressure is required for each solvent to ensure
that it does not boil at a particular temperature. It can be found at the vapour pressure chart page
