Reaction Chemistry & Engineering Blog

Reaction Chemistry & Engineering Chair Klavs Jensen and colleague Steve Buchwald have developed an intelligent automated reactor that drastically cuts the time it takes to optimise cross-coupling reactions.

Their automated flow reactor that can respond to the results of experiments and determine the optimum conditions for catalytic reactions within a single day.

RCE Advisory Board member Ryan Hartman highly praises the research as a ‘vital contribution that advances both synthetic chemistry and chemical engineering’ in Chemistry World.

Check out the full story by Jamie Durrani here.

This article is open access

B J Reizman et al, React. Chem. Eng., 2016, DOI: 10.1039/C6RE00153J

No one wants to stock cylinders of toxic and corrosive chlorine in the lab. Now, researchers working with the gas can generate small amounts when and where they need it.

Read the full story by Abigail Hallowes in Chemistry World.

This article is free to access until 05 October 2016

F J Strauss et al, React. Chem. Eng., 2016, DOI: 10.1039/C6RE00135A

Scientists from Germany have developed a quick and low-cost screening method for photocatalytic reactions based on a simple change of colour.

In a recent study in Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, Burkhard König and a colleague from the University of Regensburg have developed a simple colorimetric method to analyse the outcome of photocatalytic reactions. An organic dye changes colour if a reaction works and can even indicate how much of the starting materials has been consumed.

Read the full story by Michaela Mühlberg in Chemistry World.

This article is free to access until 19 September 2016:

Michal Poznik and Burkhard Konig, React. Chem. Eng, 2016, DOI: 10.1039/C6RE00117C

Synthetic chemists have invented two new room temperature methods for generating carbon monoxide from cheap precursors and using it straight away, so that deadly amounts of the gas never build up.

Carbon monoxide is toxic, flammable and disperses fast in air. It also happens to be one of the most useful C₁ building blocks for organic synthesis. Important industrial processes use bulk quantities. But concerns over safety, especially in cylinder storage and transportation, are hampering research. Carbon monoxide surrogates do exist, but involve costly components, high temperatures or harsh conditions.

To generate carbon monoxide at the point of use, Wim De Borggraeve and coworkers at KU Leuven, Belgium, have devised a triple system of cheap and common mesyl chloride, triethylamine and formic acid. Alternatively, collaborative work between the groups of Steven Ley at the University of Cambridge, UK, and Trond Ulven at the University of Southern Denmark, brings together chemistry developed in Denmark with flow chemistry technology from Cambridge.

Read the full story in Chemistry World.

Both articles are free to access:

Low-cost instant CO generation at room temperature using formic acid, mesyl chloride and triethylamine, Cedrick Veryser, Seger Van Mileghem, Brecht Egle, Philippe Gilles and Wim M. De Borggraeve, React. Chem. Eng., 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6re00006a

Controlled generation and use of CO in flow, Steffen V. F. Hansen, Zoe E. Wilson, Trond Ulven and Steven V. Ley, React. Chem. Eng., 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6re00020g

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