The X-Cube™ is a state of the art flow reactor for safe, fast, and efficient catalyst or reaction screening with or without gases.
Following on from the award winning H-Cube®, the X-Cube™ allows catalysts or reactions to be screened in a flow manner with reagent gases, combining the use of temperatures and pressures up to 200°C (392°F) and 150 bar (2176 psi) respectively and catalyst/reagent cartridge system (CatCart®). Gases can be utilized up to a maximum of 100 bar (1450 psi).

The X-Cube™ is ideal for those chemists working in the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, chemical or petrochemical catalyst and reaction screening divisions where time and resources are limited.
Catalyst performance can be discovered in minutes with only minimal amounts of reagents and catalysts used.
The CatCart Packer™, also available through ThalesNano Inc., allows the user to screen their own catalysts on the X-Cube™. A range of ThalesNano’s catalysts or reagents may also be used on the system.

How does it work?

• A continuous-flow of reaction mixture may be fed by a dual pump system or injected into the reactor directly.
• Once in the system, the reaction mixture can be pre-mixed with a gas and then heated, pressurized and passed through a reagent or catalyst cartridge. All reagents are heterogeneous including many polymer bound reagents and catalysts.
• The product is generated and pumped continuously out of the system into a collector.

New for 2009

• The X-Cube™ system is now compatible with an autosampler system for fully automated catalyst screening.

Advantages

Versatile

• Catalysts can be screened on the mg scale and the results used for larger scale up.
• The X-Cube™ allows reagent gases to be used as part of catalyst screening.
• With the CatCart Packer™, any of your heterogeneous catalysts may be screened using the X-Cube™ system.
• The X-Cube™ system can be fully integrated with an autosampler for fully automated catalyst screening for reactions without gases.

Efficient

• The low volume of the system (6 mL) means catalysts may be optimized on the mg scale saving money on catalysts, reaction material, and solvent.
• Two catalysts may be screened in one flow.
• Catalysts and reaction conditions may be optimized "on the fly" to obtain optimum reaction conditions in minutes.
• Reaction mixture elutes after 6 minutes (at 1 mL/min) for quick analysis
• Catalysts may be reused using the CatCart® system.

Safe

• Low volume system with high temperature control means many volatile reactions can be conducted safely.
• Once the catalysts are packed in the cartridges the catalyst is safer to handle, reuse, and dispose of, with no filtration necessary during reaction work up.

Green

• The low volume of the system and the ability to reuse catalyst cartridges means that the use of chemicals during screening can be kept to a minimum.

Demonstration Request

X-Cube™ Brochure - Catalysis Made Simple

X-Cube™ Application Note - Coupling Reactions

X-Cube™ Application Note - Metathesis Reaction

X-Cube™ Application Note - Kinetic Resolution

X-Cube™ Application Note - Reductive Amination