Multi-temperature modular reactor and method of using same
First Claim
1. A modular reactor for analyzing chemical reactions in an array of material, comprisingat least two reactor modules, each of said reactor modules having at least one reactor vessel for receiving material therein, and a temperature control system comprising (i) a heat transfer plate as a first temperature control device for commonly biasing said at least two reactor modules to a first predetermined temperature, said heat transfer plate being in thermal contact with said at least two reactor modules, (ii) a separate second temperature control device associated with one of the at least two reactor modules for selectively varying the temperature of said at least one reactor module to a second predetermined temperature, and (iii) a separate third temperature control device associated with another of the at least two reactor modules for selectively varying the temperature of the another reactor module to a third predetermined temperature, said first predetermined temperature being different from each of said second and third predetermined temperatures.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for carrying out and monitoring the progress and properties of multiple reactions is disclosed. The method and apparatus are especially useful for synthesizing, screening, and characterizing combinatorial libraries, but also offer significant advantages over conventional experimental reactors as well. The apparatus generally includes multiple vessels for containing reaction mixtures, and systems for controlling the stirring rate and temperature of individual reaction mixtures or groups of reaction mixtures. In addition, the apparatus may include provisions for independently controlling pressure in each vessel. In situ monitoring of individual reaction mixtures provides feedback for process controllers, and also provides data for determining reaction rates, product yields, and various properties of the reaction products, including viscosity and molecular weight.
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Citations
54 Claims
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1. A modular reactor for analyzing chemical reactions in an array of material, comprising
at least two reactor modules, each of said reactor modules having at least one reactor vessel for receiving material therein, and a temperature control system comprising (i) a heat transfer plate as a first temperature control device for commonly biasing said at least two reactor modules to a first predetermined temperature, said heat transfer plate being in thermal contact with said at least two reactor modules, (ii) a separate second temperature control device associated with one of the at least two reactor modules for selectively varying the temperature of said at least one reactor module to a second predetermined temperature, and (iii) a separate third temperature control device associated with another of the at least two reactor modules for selectively varying the temperature of the another reactor module to a third predetermined temperature, said first predetermined temperature being different from each of said second and third predetermined temperatures.
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30. A method for analyzing and characterizing an array of materials comprising the steps of:
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providing at least two reactor modules, each having a plurality of reaction vessels;
placing material in said reaction vessels;
biasing said at least two reactor modules to a first predetermined temperature using a heat transfer plate positioned in thermal contact with said at least two reactor modules;
independently controlling the temperature of the at least two reactor modules by associating a separate temperature control device with each of said at least two reactor modules, and varying the temperature of each of said reactor modules to different second and third temperatures, respectively, said second temperature of one of the at least two reactor modules being different than said third temperature of the other of said reactor modules;
monitoring and detecting changes in the materials in-situ after the temperature of each of said reactor modules is varied; and
determining characteristics of the materials based on the detected changes. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method for analyzing, synthesizing or characterizing an array of materials comprising the steps of
providing a modular reactor comprising at least two reactor modules and a heat transfer plate in thermal contact with said at least two reactor modules, each of the reactor modules having at least one reactor vessel, placing material in said reactor vessels, independently controlling the temperature of the at least two reactor modules to different predetermined temperatures by biasing the at least two reactor modules using said heat transfer plate to a first predetermined temperature and independently varying the temperature of said at least two reactor modules using a separate temperature control device associated with each of the reactor modules, evaluating the materials in situ in each of the reactor vessels.
Specification