Challenges in obtaining reliable kinetic data
Understanding reaction kinetics is essential for optimizing chemical processes and enabling successful scale-up in pharmaceutical development. However, obtaining reliable kinetic data can be difficult due to limitations in mixing efficiency, temperature control, and sampling reproducibility in conventional laboratory setups.
The ReactALL™, a medium-throughput experimentation platform featuring automated sampling, overhead stirring, and precise temperature control, addresses these challenges. In a performance evaluation, Argüelles et al. assessed key parameters relevant to kinetic studies, including sampling reproducibility, solvent loss, experiment-to-experiment consistency, and temperature control.
Experiment set-up
Automated fixed-volume sampling enabled consistent time-resolved sample collection, with less than 1 % deviation observed in internal standard measurements, as shown in Figure 1. In addition, solvent evaporation during extended experiments was minimal, ensuring stable reaction conditions. Duplicate experiments performed on different days produced nearly identical concentration–time profiles, highlighting the system’s strong day-to-day reproducibility (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Sampling reproducibility over time
Figure 2: Results from two ReactALL experiments performed on different days
Accurate temperature regulation is critical in kinetic experiments because reaction rates are highly temperature dependent. ReactALL employs a contactless infrared thermopile system to measure the internal reactor temperature in real time and dynamically adjust the jacket temperature. The thermopile sensor was validated against an internal temperature probe across different solvents, showing excellent agreement between the two measurement methods and confirming accurate, reliable contactless temperature measurement across various reaction media (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Comparison between thermopile and probe temperature in different solvents
Conclusion
Overall, the ReactALL workstation offers a reliable and efficient platform for generating high-quality kinetic datasets. With precise temperature control, automated sampling, and medium-throughput experimentation, it overcomes limitations of traditional workflows and enables data-rich kinetic analysis for pharmaceutical process development.
Reference
[i] Expedited Kinetic Modeling Workflow Leveraging Medium-Throughput Automation. Stefanie Swiecki and Alonso J. Argüelles, Organic Process Research & Development 2026 30 (2), 363-371, DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.5c00373
Curious to learn more?
Download the full application note "Evaluating ReactALL for reliable and representative kinetic data generation".