The Atlas plug-and-play batch reactor systems and FRX flow reactors were launched in September and October respectively, and have proved so popular that the current sales force has struggled to keep up with demand. Distributors for India (Nuilab Equipment), Japan (Hansen), Italy (Stepbio) and Australia (John Morris) have also been appointed.
According to Mike Hawes, Syrris marketing and applications manager: "The products were designed to be incredibly easy to use and can either be controlled by buttons on the front of the modules or by a PC."
Hawes attributes the success of the products to the reputation that Syrris earned producing high-end equipment such as the AFRICA and Lara systems before entering the market at a lower price point with easy to use systems.
The Atlas system competes directly with standard hot plate stirrers from manufacturers such as Heidolph and IKA, but offers a unique way to form arrays of reactors, which can be linked together by using the USB ports. This allows researchers to control "slave" units by operating just one "master" unit allowing simple parallel chemistry applications.
The modules include a self-adjusting overhead stirrer, screw on coldplate, various methods of stirring and heating multiple reactions on the same base unit, and a syringe and diaphragm pump for easy, controlled additions of solutions.
Talking about the new Atlas system, Hawes said: "it's a bit like Lego, you can build up a few simple components to build a sophisticated system."
"You can buy a number of different components and arrange them as you need, making the systems incredibly flexible."
The Atlas base units can accept a USB memory stick, which can log all data, such as stirrer speed, temperature, pH etc and can also control RS232 controlled third-party equipment.
The FRX system is a low-cost modular flow chemistry system, based on the well-respected AFRICA system. The ability to carry out a reaction in a flow reactor and collect a pure compound makes flow chemistry a particularly attractive option in drug discovery and process development where reaction optimisation and scale-up are very important.
"FRX enables researchers to work on milligram scales during reaction optimization as well as being scalable to kilogram scales on scale-up as well as the ability to pressurise reactions," continued Hawes.
"You can take dichloromethane (atmospheric boiling point 42oC) to 100oC by increasing the pressure to keep it as a liquid."
The system can also handle solid phase reagents and control the temperature of the solid phase beds as the reactants flow through.
According to the company, one of the unique things about the system is the flow liquid liquid extraction (FLLEX) module which is the flow equivalent of a separating funnel, and gives very controlled and rapid transfer of products from one phase to another. Aqueous work up is achieved by initially mixing the organic product stream with an aqueous phase, and then allowing time for diffusion to occur before finally splitting the flow back to its constituent parts.
The FLLEX module minimizes emulsion formation problems as seen in separating funnels and allows the full aqueous work-up of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and other highly miscible solvents that wouldn't be possible in a conventional separating funnel.