Extending practical flow chemistry into the undergraduate curriculum via the use of a portable low-cost 3D printed conti
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Extending practical flow chemistry into the undergraduate curriculum via the use of a portable low-cost 3D printed continuous flow system Matthew R. Penny 1
&
Natalie Tsui 1 & Stephen T. Hilton 1
Received: 28 September 2020 / Revised: 21 October 2020 / Accepted: 22 October 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Continuous flow chemistry is undergoing rapid growth and adoption within the pharmaceutical industry due to its ability to rapidly translate chemical discoveries from medicinal chemistry laboratories into process laboratories. Its growing significance means that it is imperative that flow chemistry is taught and experienced by both undergraduate and postgraduate synthetic chemists. However, whilst flow chemistry has been incorporated by industry, there remains a distinct lack of practical training and knowledge at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A key challenge associated with its implementation is the high cost (>$25,000) of the system’s themselves, which is far beyond the financial reach of most universities and research groups, meaning that this key technology remains open to only a few groups and that its associated training remains a theoretical rather than a practical subject. In order to increase access to flow chemistry, we sought to design and develop a small-footprint, low-cost and portable continuous flow system that could be used to teach flow chemistry, but that could also be used by research groups looking to transition to continuous flow chemistry. A key element of its utility focusses on its 3D printed nature, as low-cost reactors could be readily incorporated and modified to suit differing needs and educational requirements. In this paper, we demonstrate the system’s flexibility using reactors and mixing chips designed and 3D printed by an undergraduate project student (N.T.) and show how the flexibility of the system allows the investigation of differing flow paths on the same continuous flow system in parallel. Keywords 3D Printing . Additive Manufacturing . Flow Chemistry . Reactionware . Fluidics
Introduction Despite the fact that there are a rapidly increasing number of publications concerning continuous flow chemistry and that Highlights • We demonstrate the small-footprint nature of our continuous flow system that is suitable for undergraduate education. • We demonstrate that it can be used with a variety of 3D printed mixing chips to illustrate mixing and the associated methodology. • We show how the flexibility of the system allows for parallel reaction optimisation via residence time or reactor design on the same smallfootprint continuous flow system. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s41981-02000122-5. * Stephen T. Hilton [email protected] 1
UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AX London, UK
the adoption of continuous flow chemistry by industry has been encouraged by both the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) and the Chinese government [1] it is surprising that
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