METHOD FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT CHEMICAL SCREENING

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical reaction is provided. In the practice of one embodiment of the invention, the method includes the steps of providing a reaction vessel and reactants; placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval. A volume increment of at least one of the reactants is withdrawn from the reaction vessel, and a volume increment of at least one of the reactants is added to the reaction vessel. The volume increment withdrawal/addition is repeated after successive time intervals until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. In various alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition.

Description: METHOD FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT CHEMICAL SCREENING CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of Provisional Application Serial No. 60/133,061, filed May 7, 1999, entitled "INCREMENTAL FLOW REACTOR AND METHOD FOR PARALLEL SCREENING". BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a method for rapid screening of reactants, catalysts, and associated process conditions and, more specifically, to a method of producing a chemical reaction that emulates those carried out in production-scale, continuous flow or continuous stirred tank reactors. 2. Discussion of Related Art Since its introduction in 1970, combinatorial chemistry has become a popular research tool among scientists in many fields. High throughput and combinatorial screening for biological activity have been prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly twenty years, and more recently, high throughput and combinatorial screening for improved catalysts for the bulk chemical industries have enjoyed increasing popularity. A substantial reason for the lag in the development of high throughput and combinatorial screening for production scale reactions is the difficulty in emulating the production-scale reactions at the micro-scale necessary for high throughput or combinatorial work. In particular, special problems can arise for reactions that are significantly dependent on flow rate or configuration. Most combinatorial work to date has focused on "solid phase" reactions. It is known that a wide variety of organic reactions can be carried out on substrates immobilized on resins. However, a substantial number of production scale reactions are "liquid phase" or "mixed phase" and, as noted, are carried out in continuous flow reactor systems Early efforts in high throughput screening of solutions have focused on catalyst screening Before the application of the high throughput and combinatorial approaches, catalyst testing was traditionally accomplished in bench scale or larger pilot plants in which the feed to a continuous flow reactor was contacted with a catalyst under near steady state reaction conditions. However, rapid and combinatorial screening of reactants. catalysts, and associated process conditions require that a large number of reactions or catalytic systems be tested simultaneously In certain applications, screening-level data can be generated by using miniaturized batch reactors in conjunction with liquid-handling robots that aliquot the appropriate catalysts and reactants to each vial or reaction well In other applications, however, batch reactions do not behave in the same fashion as continuous flow reactions and could provide misleading results if the goal of screening is to identify reactants or catalyst systems that will be implemented in production-scale continuous flow reactors. As the demand for bulk chemicals has continued to grow, new and improved methods of producing more product with existing resources are needed to supply the market. Unfortunately, the identities of additional effective reactants and catalyst systems for these processes continue to elude the industry What are needed are new and improved methods and devices for rapid screening of potential reactants, catalysts, and associated process conditions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for producing a chemical reaction in a manner useful for rapid screening of reactants, catalysts, and associated process conditions. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing a reaction vessel and reactants, placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval. A volume increment of at least one of the reactants is added to the reaction vessel, and a volume increment of at least one of the reactants is withdrawn from the reaction vessel. The volume increment addition/withdrawal is repeated after successive time intervals until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. In alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following description, claims, and appended drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of concentration gradients of various reactions; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a device capable of performing an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the relationship among various reaction conditions; and FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of a reaction kinetics model comparing a continuous stirred tank reactor with an incremental flow reactor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is directed to a method for producing a chemical reaction. Generally, it is contemplated that the method can be useful for high throughput screening of reactants, catalysts, and associated reaction conditions. More specifically, it is contemplated that the present method can be useful for parallel high- throughput screening of chemical reactants, catalysts, and processes in which continuous flow of reactor influents and effluents is desired. The method allows researchers to mimic continuous flow in order to obtain useful information that may be dependent on flow rate or configuration (e.g., reaction yield; selectivity; and other reaction characteristics or process variables). It is believed that the method can be particularly useful for studying the formation of bisphenol A from phenol and acetone. As noted, a significant number of production scale chemical processes cannot be accurately emulated in a batch reactor. The present method overcomes the limitations of traditional batch screening while advantageously allowing the use of convenient, miniaturized reactor vessels, such as vial arrays, multi-welled microtitre plates, and the like. In the practice of one embodiment of the invention, the method includes the steps of providing a reaction vessel and reactants; placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval. A volume increment of at least one of the reactants is added to the reaction vessel, and a volume increment of at least one of the reactants is withdrawn from the reaction vessel. The volume increment addition/withdrawal is repeated after successive time intervals until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. As used herein, the term "substantially steady state" refers to a point where the reaction effectively emulates a reaction of interest, such as those carried out in production-scale, continuous flow or continuous stirred tank reactors. As noted, certain reaction data are dependent on flow rate, residence time, or similar parameters. Utilizing the present method, these parameters can be manipulated in order to obtain useful data at a micro scale. In various alternative embodiments, the volume increment withdrawal can take place before, after, or contemporaneously with the volume increment addition. The preferred order will depend on the discrete circumstances of a given application. For example, when working with micro amounts, it may be preferable to add a volume increment before withdrawal in order to maintain favorable reaction conditions within the reaction vessel. In a preferred embodiment, the time increments are selected such that withdrawals are made before the reactants present in the reaction vessel have had a chance to completely react, thereby ensuring substantially continuous reactivity within the reaction vessel. Each volume increment added contains at least one of the reactants. In the present context, the term "reactant" means any substance that affects the reaction in any capacity, including catalysts, promoters, and the like. The relative amounts of each reactant in the volume increments can be determined based on the differential depletion, exhaustion, or inactivation of each species during the course of the reaction. It is also contemplated that multiple additions of various reactants and reactant combinations can be made. In a preferred embodiment, the total volume of the multiple additions is equivalent to the volume increment withdrawn. Withdrawn volume increments can be dealt with in a number of ways. For example, each volume increment withdrawn from the reaction vessel can be analyzed individually for properties of interest. Selected volume increments can be analyzed, while the non-analyzed volume increments are discarded. Alternatively, withdrawn volume increments can be pooled to provide cumulative data for the entire course of the reaction or for selected time periods of interest. In further alternative embodiments, automated robotic equipment can be used to deliver and remove the volume increments. Desired space velocity and reactor residence times can be obtained by controlling the size of the volume increments withdrawn added and the size of the time intervals between volume increment additions. Unless otherwise noted, time intervals denote the period of time between successive volume additions. The effective liquid residence time in the reactor can be defined by the following relationship: ΔV wherein Δt = time interval. ΔV - volume increment; RT = residence time; and V I0[ = total liquid volume in the reaction vessel. Likewise, the effective liquid flow rate (Q) can be defined by the following relationship: ΔV At It is evident that the behavior of the present incremental flow method approaches that of a continuous stirred tank reactor as the time interval and volume increments approach zero: hm (IFR) = continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) At ΛV→O Conversely, as the volume increment approaches the total liquid volume in the reaction vessel, the behavior of the incremental flow method approaches that of a sequential series of batch reactions: lim (IFR) = sequential series of batch reactions ΛV→V The selection of optimal Δt and ΔV values will depend on several factors, including reaction kinetics and the capabilities of the liquid-handling equipment. As shown m FIG. 1 , a faster reaction will generally exhibit larger concentration gradients within a given time interval than a slower reaction. Preferably, for a given reaction system, the Δt and ΔV values should be chosen to minimize the within-increment concentration gradients without placing excessive demands on liquid handling equipment. Accordingly, it may be useful to determine the sub-interval concentration gradients at various points throughout the course of the reaction. Not only can this information be useful in verifying that appropriate Δt and ΔV values have been chosen, it could also provide valuable insight regarding reaction kinetics. Such information can be obtained by establishing a reaction as described above. That is, allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval, followed by controlled addition and withdrawal of nominal volume increments until the reaction reaches a point of interest. When concentration gradient information is desired, a sample volume increment is added that is larger (e.g., two to three times larger) than the nominal ΔV. Volume sub-increments are then withdrawn at appropriate subintervals within the time interval, such that the sum of the volume sub-increments is equivalent to the sample volume increment. Analysis of the withdrawn sub-increments provides desired concentration gradient data. The reaction is allowed to continue until sub- interval concentration gradient information is again desired, at which point the steps for obtaining such information can be repeated. In a further alternative embodiment, volume increment withdrawals are effected by inserting a probe to a predetermined level in the reaction vessel and withdrawing reactor fluid until no further fluid can be withdrawn by the probe at that predetermined level. In this manner the probe acts as a liquid level controller, thereby ensuring that the liquid level in the reaction vessel will be the same at the end of each time interval. When using a robotic probe, the efficacy of this approach depends, inter alia, on how accurately and reproducibly the probe can be positioned at the desired liquid level. This embodiment reduces or eliminates the possibility of cumulative volume error related to the accuracy of incremental volume withdrawals and also compensates for error related to the accuracy of incremental volume additions. For example, if a slightly larger than desired volume increment is added at the beginning of a time interval, a similarly larger volume increment will be withdrawn at the end of that time interval since the volume increment removal is based on a liquid level control mechanism. Conversely, a smaller than desired volume increment addition would be compensated for by a smaller volume increment removal. EXAMPLE The following prophetic example utilizes a mathematical reaction kinetic model to compare incremental flow reactor behavior with continuous stirred tank reactor behavior. The example is included to provide additional guidance to those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention and is merely representative of the teaching of the present application. Accordingly, this example is not intended to limit the invention in any manner. The dihydric phenol 2.2bis(p-hydroxyphenyl) propane (commonly referred to as "bisphenol-A", "BPA" or "pp-BPA") is commercially prepared by condensing 2 moles of phenol with a mole of acetone in the presence of an acid catalyst. The phenol is typically provided in molar excess of the stoichiometric requirement. Optional reaction promoters, such as free mercaptans, can be added to aid the reaction. Common acid catalysts for the production of BPA include acidic ion exchange resins, such as sulfonic acid substituted polystyrene and the like. Current industry research efforts are focused on improving the effectiveness of these ion exchange catalysts and identifying additional promoters. In this context, assume that the ion exchange resin-catalyzed formation of BPA from phenol and acetone is conducted in continuous-flow reactors at a space velocity of 2.33 g liquid feed/g resin/hr. For a small vial containing 150 mg resin and 1000 μL liquid volume, the corresponding liquid flow rate for a true continuous flow reactor would be 338 μL/hr (assuming a liquid feed specific gravity of 1.018 g/mL). To mimic continuous flow in the small vial example using the incremental flow method, the following sequence would be followed: With reference to FIG. 2, each vial or reaction well is loaded with the appropriate mixture of phenol: acetone feed 12. The feed can contain optional promoter(s) and catalyst(s). Each vial is provided with resin beads 16 and an optional stir bar 18. It will often be beneficial to allow the initial feed to sit for an extended period in contact with the resin to allow the resin to swell. The reaction is allowed to proceed in batch mode for one time interval, Δt. Near the end of this time interval, a probe (not shown) withdraws one liquid volume increment, ΔV, of reaction mixture 14 from the vial (reactor effluent). The withdrawn volume increment is replaced with an equal volume increment, ΔV, of fresh feed 12. Cycle time, Δt, is defined as the time period between successive volume increment additions. The incremental withdrawal and addition of reactants is continued until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state, and screening data are collected. The values of the time intervals and volume increments (Δt and ΔV) can be selected to obtain a desired space velocity. The relationship between the time intervals and volume increments is as follows: p - ΔV • 60 Δt = SV R wherein Δt = time interval [min]; ΔV = volume increment; p = density of liquid feed; SV = space velocity [g liquid feed/g resin/hr]; and R = amount of resin. The relationship between Δt and ΔV is plotted in FIG. 3 for the present example (V, ot = 1000 μL; resin amount = 150 mg/L; space velocity = 2.33 g liquid flow/g resin hr), along with results for a range of other space velocities. FIG. 4 shows a comparison between the incremental flow method and a traditional continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). These plots were generated using mathematical reaction kinetics models with the following parameters: Δt = 5.7 minutes kpp = 1 hr 1 ΔV = 30 μL k op = 0.005 hr " 1 Space velocity = 2.33 g liquid feed/g resin/hr k lsofwd = 0.01 hr- Resin amount = 150 mg k,„„ . = 0.01 hi- Liquid volume in reactor = 1000 μL k al = 0.01 hr-' The hypothetical model reactions are shown below: k„„ Acetone + 2 Phenol pp-BPA X Acetone + 2 Phenol op-BPA isomeπzation pp-BPA alkylation products It is clear that the incremental flow method closely emulates the CSTR under these conditions. It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find utility in applications differing from the types described herein. While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a method for high throughput chemical screening, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. For example, various detection techniques may be incorporated into the method to provide data at accelerated rates. As such, further modifications and equivalents of the embodiments herein disclosed may occur to persons skilled in the art using no more than routine experimentation, and all such modifications and equivalents are believed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims: CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A method of producing a chemical reaction, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a reaction vessel and reactants; b) placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; c) allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval; d) withdrawing a volume increment of at least one of the reactants from the reaction vessel; e) adding a volume increment of at least one of the reactants to the reaction vessel; and f) repeating steps c), d), and e) until the reaction reaches a substantially steady state. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactants include phenol. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reactants include acetone. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reaction comprises formation of bisphenol A. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the volume increment comprises phenol. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the volume increment comprises acetone. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the reaction vessel further contains an ion exchange resin. 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the volume increment further comprises a reaction promoter. 9 The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting the reactor residence time of at least one of the reactants by controlling the time interval between additions 10 The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of selecting the reactor residence time of at least one of the reactants by controlling the size of the volume increments added and withdrawn from the reactor 1 1 The method of claim 7, wherein the time intervals and the volume increments are selected to obtain a desired space velocity according to the following relationship p AV 60 At SV R wherein Δt is the time interval [min], ΔV is the volume increment, p is density of the volume increment added, SV is the space velocity [g liquid feed/g resin/hr], and R is the quantity of ion exchange resin 12 The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of adding a sample volume increment, the volume increment being larger than the volume increment added in step d), withdrawing volume sub-increments at appropriate subintervals within the time interval, such that the sum of the volume sub-increments is equivalent to the sample volume increment; and analyzing the volume sub-increments to provide data regarding the concentration gradient during a time interval 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the volume increments are chosen to minimize concentration gradients between time intervals. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the volume increments withdrawn from the reaction vessel are analyzed for properties of interest. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the volume increments withdrawn from the reaction vessel are pooled and subsequently analyzed to provide cumulative data. 16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the volume increments are withdrawn from the reaction vessel by positioning a probe at a predetermined level within the reaction vessel and withdrawing reactor fluid until no further fluid can be withdrawn by the probe at the predetermined level. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein after the reaction is allowed to proceed for a time interval the volume increments are withdrawn and added simultaneously. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein after the reaction is allowed to proceed for a time interval volume increments are added before being withdrawn. 19. A method of producing a chemical reaction, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a reaction vessel and reactants; b) placing at least one of the reactants in the reaction vessel; c) allowing the reaction to proceed for a time interval; d) withdrawing a volume increment of at least one of the reactants from the reaction vessel; e) adding a volume increment of at least one of the reactants to the reaction vessel; and f) selecting the time intervals and the volume increments to obtain a desired space velocity. 20. The method of claim 19. wherein the volume increment comprises phenol. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the volume increment comprises acetone. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the reaction vessel further contains an ion exchange resin. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the volume increment further comprises a reaction promoter. 24. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of selecting the reactor residence time of at least one of the reactants by controlling the time interval between additions. 25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of selecting the reactor residence time of at least one of the reactants by controlling the size of the volume increments added and withdrawn from the reactor. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein the desired space velocity is obtained by selecting the time intervals and the volume increments in accordance with the following relationship: p - AV - 60 Δf SV - R wherein Δt is the time interval [min], ΔV is the volume increment, p is density of the volume increment added, SV is the space velocity [g liquid feed g resin hr], and R is the quantity of ion exchange resin. 27 The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: adding a sample volume increment, the volume increment being larger than the volume increment added in step d), withdrawing volume sub-increments at appropriate subintervals within the time interval, such that the sum of the volume sub-increments is equivalent to the sample volume increment, and analyzing the volume sub-increments to provide data regarding the concentration gradient during a time interval 28 The method of claim 19, wherein the size of the volume increments are chosen to minimize concentration gradients between time intervals 29 The method of claim 19, wherein the volume increments withdrawn from the reaction vessel are analyzed for properties of interest. 30 The method of claim 19, wherein the volume increments withdrawn from the reaction vessel are pooled and subsequently analyzed to provide cumulative data 31 The method of claim 19, wherein the volume increments are withdrawn from the reaction vessel by positioning a probe at a predetermined level withm the reaction vessel and withdrawing reactor fluid until no further fluid can be withdrawn by the probe at the predetermined level. 32. The method of claim 19, wherein after the reaction is allowed to proceed for a time interval the volume increments are withdrawn and added simultaneously 33 The method of claim 19, wherein after the reaction is allowed to proceed for a time interval volume increments are added before being withdrawn.

Inventors: FLANAGAN WILLIAM PATRICK, SABOURIN CHERYL LYNN, SPIVACK JAMES LAWRENCE, FLANAGAN, WILLIAM, PATRICK, SABOURIN, CHERYL, LYNN, SPIVACK, JAMES, LAWRENCE
Applicants: GEN ELECTRIC, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B01J19
IPC codes: B01J4, B01J19, C07B61, C07C37, C07C39, C40B60