Syrris goes with the flow

UK-based Syrris has launched the Flow Factory, the new solid phase module of its AFRICA (Automated Flow Reaction Incubation and Control Apparatus) flow chemistry microreactor, which extends the utility of the existing system.

Due for release early in 2006, the Flow Factory is being developed in collaboration with Cambridge University's Department of Chemistry and a major pharma company.

The AFRICA microreactor enables multiple reactions to be completed faster and in a more controlled way than standard reaction methods, according to Syrris. The Flow Factory increases AFRICA's capabilities by allowing the use of heterogeneous catalysts, solid supported reagents and scavengers in a flow environment. This vastly expands the range of reaction types that can be carried out in flow.

With capacity for up to eight reaction steps, each with independent temperature control, the Flow Factory allows chemists to run multiple reactions from one set-up. The flexibility of the module means that it can be operated in a manual mode from the module's front panel, or by using a PC as an integral part of the existing AFRICA system, controlled by Syrris's Flow Manager software.

Professor Steve Ley of Cambridge University's Department of Chemistry said: "The new module allows my group to carry out the sophisticated multi-step flow chemistry we have developed for immobilised reagents and catalysts, greatly extending the capability of the AFRICA platform."