Hydrogenation of Pharmaceutical Intermediates

A significant portion of the reaction steps in a typical fine chemical synthesis are catalytic hydrogenations, generally limited by resistances to mass and heat transport Large surface-to-volume ratios of microreactors would greatly benefit chemical 

The reactor design was such that solid catalyst is suspended in the reaction channel by an arrangement of catalyst traps. The design enables use of commercial catalyst and allows control of pressure drop across the bed by adjusting the packing density. An optimized design of a microreactor may result in the possibility of microreactors as a beneficial alternative to conventional reactors in fine chemical and other industries. 

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