Synthesis, catalytic activity, and leaching studies of a heterogeneous Pd-catalyst including an immobilized bis(oxazoline) ligand

The synthesis and characterization of a novel catalytic system including Pd(OAc)(2) attached to a bis(oxazoline) (=BOX) ligand that is covalently bonded to 3-mercaptopropyl-functionalized silica gel is presented. The catalyst was tested for Suzuki-Miyaura reactions of different aryl halides with phenylboronic acid. The heterogeneity of the catalytic system was investigated using different approaches, indicating that there is virtually no Pd leaching into the reaction solution under the applied reaction conditions. Furthermore, our results show that the catalytic system can be reused multiple times without significant loss of stability or structure.

Printing medicines as orodispersible dosage forms: Effect of substrate on the printed micro-structure

We present our recent advancements in developing a viable manufacturing process for printed medicine. Our approach involves using a non-contact printing system that incorporates both piezoelectric- and solenoid valve-based inkjet printing technologies, to deliver both active and inactive pharmaceutical materials onto medical-graded orodispersible films. By using two complimentary inkjet technologies, we were able to dispense an extensive range of fluids, from aqueous drug solutions to viscous polymer coating materials. Essentially, we demonstrate printing of a wide range of formulations for patient-ready, orodispersible drug dosage forms, without the risk of drug degradation by ink heating and of substrate damages (by contact printing). In addition, our printing process has been optimized to ensure that the drug doses can be loaded onto the orally dissolvable films without introducing defects, such as holes or tears, while retaining a smooth surface texture that promotes patient adherence and allows for uniform post-coatings. Results show that our platform technology can address key issues in manufacturing orodispersible drug dosage forms and bring us closer to delivering personalized and precision medicine to targeted patient populations.

Development of customized 3D printed stainless steel reactors with inline oxygen sensors for aerobic oxidation of Grignard reagents in continuous flow

Development of 3D printed stainless steel reactors for the oxidation of Grignard reagents in continuous flow.

A chemo-enzymatic tandem reaction in a mixture of deep eutectic solvent and water in continuous flow

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) enables drastic increase in substrate solubility and solvent compatibility of a chemo-enzymatic two-step flow process combining enzymatic decarboxylation and Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling.

Crystal Shape Modification via Cycles of Growth and Dissolution in a Tubular Crystallizer

Besides size and polymorphic form, crystal shape takes a central role in engineering advanced solid materials for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. This work demonstrates how multiple cycles of growth and dissolution can manipulate the habit of an acetylsalicylic acid crystal population. Considerable changes of the crystal habit could be achieved within minutes due to rapid cycling, i.e., up to 25 cycles within <10 min. The required fast heating and cooling rates were facilitated using a tubular reactor design allowing for superior temperature control. The face-specific interactions between solvent and the crystals' surface result in face-specific growth and dissolution rates and hence alterations of the final shape of the crystals in solution. Accurate quantification of the crystal shapes was essential for this work, but is everything except simple. A commercial size and shape analyzer had to be adapted to achieve the required accuracy. Online size, and most important shape, analysis was achieved using an automated microscope equipped with a flow-through cell, in combination with a dedicated image analysis routine for particle tracking and shape analysis. Due to the implementation of this analyzer, capable of obtaining statistics on the crystals' shape while still in solution (no sampling and manipulation required), the dynamic behavior of the size shape distribution could be studied. This enabled a detailed analysis of the solvent's effect on the change in crystal habit.

A modular 3D printed isothermal heat flow calorimeter for reaction calorimetry in continuous flow

The presented continuous flow calorimeter enables process understanding of novel flow syntheses and the use of highly reactive compounds. Adaptation of the calorimeter is possible via 3D printing and due to its modular and expandable design.

3D printed ceramics as solid supports for enzyme immobilization: an automated DoE approach for applications in continuous flow

In recent years, 3D printing has emerged in the field of chemical engineering as a powerful manufacturing technique to rapidly design and produce tailor-made reaction equipment. In fact, reactors with complex internal geometries can be easily fabricated, optimized and interchanged in order to respond to precise process needs, such as improved mixing and increased surface area. These advantages make them interesting especially for catalytic applications, since customized structured bed reactors can be easily produced. 3D printing applications are not limited to reactor design, it is also possible to realize functional low cost alternatives to analytical equipment that can be used to increase the level of process understanding while keeping the investment costs low. In this work, in-house designed ceramic structured inserts printed via vat photopolymerization (VPP) are presented and characterized. The flow behavior inside these inserts was determined with residence time distribution (RTD) experiments enabled by in-house designed and 3D printed inline photometric flow cells. As a proof of concept, these structured inserts were fitted in an HPLC column to serve as solid inorganic supports for the immobilization of the enzyme Phenolic acid Decarboxylase (bsPAD), which catalyzes the decarboxylation of cinnamic acids. The conversion of coumaric acid to vinylphenol was chosen as a model system to prove the implementation of these engineered inserts in a continuous biocatalytic application with high product yield and process stability. The setup was further automated in order to quickly identify the optimum operating conditions via a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. The use of a systematic optimization, together with the adaptability of 3D printed equipment to the process requirements, render the presented approach highly promising for a more feasible implementation of biocatalysts in continuous industrial processes. Graphical abstract.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41981-021-00163-4.

Continuous-Flow In-Line Solvent-Swap Crystallization of Vitamin D3

A continuous tandem in-line evaporation–crystallization is presented. The process includes an in-line solvent-swap step, suitable to be coupled to a capillary based cooler. As a proof of concept, this setup is tested in a direct in-line acetonitrile mediated crystallization of Vitamin D₃. This configuration is suitable to be coupled to a new end-to-end continuous microflow synthesis of Vitamin D₃. By this procedure, vitamin particles can be crystallized in continuous flow and isolated using an in-line continuous filtration step. In one run in just 1 min of cooling time, ∼50% (w/w) crystals of Vitamin D₃ are directly obtained. Furthermore, the polymorphic form as well as crystals shape and size properties are described in this paper.

Heterogeneous Pd catalysts as emulsifiers in Pickering emulsions for integrated multistep synthesis in flow chemistry

Within the “compartmentalised smart factory” approach of the ONE-FLOW project the implementation of different catalysts in “compartments” provided by Pickering emulsions and their application in continuous flow is targeted. We present here the development of heterogeneous Pd catalysts that are ready to be used in combination with biocatalysts for catalytic cascade synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In particular, we focus on the application of the catalytic systems for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions, which is the key step in the synthesis of the targeted APIs valsartan and sacubitril. An immobilised enzyme will accomplish the final product formation via hydrolysis. In order to create a large interfacial area for the catalytic reactions and to keep the reagents separated until required, the catalyst particles are used to stabilise Pickering emulsions of oil and water. A set of Ce–Sn–Pd oxides with the molecular formula Ce_0.99−xSn_xPd_0.01O_2−δ (x = 0–0.99) has been prepared utilising a simple single-step solution combustion method. The high applicability of the catalysts for different functional groups and their minimal leaching behaviour is demonstrated with various Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions in batch as well as in continuous flow employing the so-called “plug & play reactor”. Finally, we demonstrate the use of these particles as the sole emulsifier of oil–water emulsions for a range of oils.

Complete chiral resolution in a continuous flow crystallizer with recycle stream

Repeated temperature cycling of crystals from a conglomerate forming chiral substance suspended in their saturated solution has shown to be effective in converting a mixture of both enantiomers into an enantiomerically pure state. While by now a large number of different setups has been demonstrated, here we show for the first time how a continuous flow temperature cycler with recycle stream is capable of establishing enantiopurity while converting a racemic starting suspension. By capturing the most significant parameters influencing the process kinetics a competitive productivity could be achieved. We show, that fast crystal dissolution at high undersaturations and fast crystal growth at high supersaturations are speeding up the process as long as nucleation can be kept to a minimum or avoided at all. Temperature cycling has shown to result in a shift towards larger sizes for the particle size distribution of the crystals suspended, which is detrimental to the present process governed by size-dependent solubility. By implementing an ultrasound unit recycled material was comminuted, resulting in nearly stable deracemization rates.

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A two-step method to covalently bind biomolecules to group-IV semiconductors: Si(111)/1,2-epoxy-9-decene/esterase

A versatile two-step method has been developed that allows linking of biomolecules covalently to hydrogen-terminated group-IV semiconductors by means of epoxy-alkenes. First, the terminal C==C double bond of the alkene forms a covalent bond with the silicon, germanium, or diamond surface by UV-mediated hydrosilylation. The terminal oxirane moiety then reacts with the biomolecule. As a model system, we investigated the attachment of an esterase B to a Si(111) surface by means of the linker molecule 1,2-epoxy-9-decene. Samples were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The immobilized enzyme retained its activity and exhibited good long-term stability.

Inline monitoring of high ammonia concentrations in methanol with a customized 3D printed flow cell

A novel system for inline monitoring of ammonia (NH3) suitable for methanol is presented. An optical ammonia sensor with a response time t90 of 33 s was combined with a tailor-made, 3D printed flow cell and allowed efficient measurements under continuous flow. The optical sensor includes a fluorescent indicator dye that is physically immobilized into a polyurethane hydrogel. A protective layer made of hydrophobic polyether sulfone (PES) shields the ammonia sensitive material against interfering substances and guarantees long-term stability in methanol. The sensor can be read out via a compact phase fluorimeter. Measurements in continuous flow are enabled by a flow cell manufactured via selective laser melting (SLM) of stainless steel. Stainless steel was chosen for the flow cell due to its good heat transfer properties and relatively good chemical resistance of NH3 in methanol. The measurements were successfully carried out with ammonia concentrations between 0.3 and 5.6 mol L− 1 NH3 in methanol at 25 °C up to 80 °C. Additionally, different flow-rates (0.5–2.0 mL min− 1), varying internal pressure (0.5–2.0 bar) as well as reversibility of the measurements at 25 and 60 °C were studied in detail. The sensor did not degrade indicated by sufficient signal and low drift over a period of two weeks, thus indicating the high potential of the novel set-up for real-time measurements in continuous flow applications.

Graphical abstract