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Application 9003

Cascade reactions with a rotating bed reactor in an EasyMax™ 102

Synthesis typically involves multiple reaction steps and the isolation of intermediate products. Any incomplete conversion at the end of each step will compound to an overall lower yield. To make things worse, the work-up of each intermediate can be very time-consuming. This has made one-pot cascade synthesis (the simultaneous execution of multiple steps in a single reactor) a desirable target for chemists. This approach aims to minimize intermediate work-up, reduce the risk of material loss, and enhance overall process efficiency.

The rotating bed reactor can simultaneously hold multiple solid-phase materials, such as catalysts, adsorbents, or ion-exchange resins. These materials can be kept physically separated in the different compartments, which solves any issues with mutually incompatible materials. Installed in the EasyMax™ 102 Advanced synthesis workstation, the rotating bed reactor offers a highly adaptable system that supports different solid materials, and offers very easy catalyst recycling.

This application note demonstrates the concept of simultaneous reactions by selective extraction of two dyes onto different adsorbents in a single run. The application was performed in the Mettler-Toledo EasyMax™ 102 Advanced synthesis workstation.

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Details

Conditions: Allura red (60 μM) and methylene blue (31 μM) in deionized water (about 120 mL) were adsorbed onto Purolite® A500Plus (13 mL, 300-1200 μm) and Purosorb™ PAD700 (13 mL, 350-1200 μm), respectively. Each adsorbent was filled into two of the four compartments in a SpinChem® S2 rotating bed reactor (RBR) operated at 500 rpm within an EasyMax™ 102 Advanced synthesis workstation.