SPbU students have come up with the idea of making chemical synthesis faster and safer

The traditional chemical synthesis involving substances dissolved in the bulb reacting with each other has obviously become outdated, because such a reaction can last for several days. Moreover, the process is quite labour-intensive and requires a specially equipped room. Thirdly, the volume of the bulb where the substances are placed is limited, therefore, if we need to mix a large number of reagents or change the reaction conditions, we will have to produce it more than once.

Our development is based on the flow chemistry technology. Such reactors are already produced abroad and are very popular in large-scale industries, but in Russia only very well-off enterprises can afford such installations. We are working on a more compact device — a microreactor, which is adapted for educational laboratories, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies.

Anna Vasilyeva, captain of the team

The main advantage of the flow synthesis method over the traditional one in the automation of the process: it is started and regulated by a computer programme set up by the researcher. From the bulbs with the reagents two substances are pumped through small tubes — microchannels — and reach a mixer where the components are mixed. If the synthesis consists of several stages, new microchannels are successively attached to the primary ones, each of them marking the next stage of producing the substance. When the process is completed, the products are delivered to the analyser, which demonstrates the result of the synthesis. Then they get to the collector and are extracted by the specialist.

"The substances are fed into the tubes gradually, at the speed set by the computer. If we are not satisfied with the parameters of the analyser, we can change the rate of supply of one of the reagents, thus controlling its concentration directly in the course of the reaction," notes Vladimir Mikhaylov, Candidate of Science in Chemistry. "That will save us the reagents, since, having corrected the error at the initial stage, the bulk of substances can be synthesised with the correct parameters. In addition, the process becomes safer, because, having realised that the selected component ratio can lead to an explosion, the scientist will stop the reaction. The continuous supply of substances to the mixer and the fact that they can be added to the bulbs at any moment of the reaction make the flow synthesis several times faster than the traditional method."

The device is much cheaper than its foreign counterparts: the innovators have found Russia-based suppliers of the consumables and standard design parts that are as good as the foreign ones and are sold at attractive prices. Now the participants are preparing to the final stage of the development, when they will demonstrate the already created prototype.

The "KhimTok" team consists of five people. Its captain Anna Vasilyeva (main field of study "Chemistry, Physics and Material Mechanics") is in charge of the high-tech part of the project. Sergey Rzhevsky (main field of study "Chemistry, Physics and Material Mechanics") performs the design work. Egor Kocheshkov and Anna Petrova (main field of study "Business Process Management") are negotiating with potential consumers. Artur Nagaev (main field of study "Software and Administration of Information Systems") is responsible for software development. The scientific supervisor of the project is Vladimir Mikhaylov, Candidate of Science in Chemistry.