Laboratory for Automated Chemistry
The Laboratory for automated chemistry features instruments for high-throughput experimentation in batch- and flow modes in addition a dedicated peptide synthesis robot.
Hovedinnhold
Laboratory for high-throughput experimentation – HTE@UiB
The HTE@UiB facility consists of an Unchained Labs Junior robotic platform which is integrated with an Agilent 1290 Infinity II UHPLC system and is housed in a double glovebox, and a Vapourtec RS-400 flow chemistry system.
The HTE@UiB facility has been established through strategic funding from UiB and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. HTE@UiB allows for automation of sample preparation, synthesis, and on- and in-line chemical analyses.
The Department of Chemistry aims to become a leading research environment for HTE-enabled discoveries in Norway and together with our partners we have proposed to establish an open national laboratory that forges large-scale optimization and artificial intelligence methodology into tools for Norwegian researchers in industry and academia to design and optimize functional compounds for a wide range of applications.
Capabilities of the Junior batch-HTE platform:
- Automated dispensing of solids and liquids
- Reaction and catalyst screening
- Up to 576 reactions in parallel
- Vessels of variable size (1 mL to 125 mL)
- Heating up to 180 °C
- Vortexing and magnetic stirring
- Automated filtration
- Online UHPLC analysis
- Screening under pressure with a reactive gas
- The system can work in air or under an inert gas
The Vapourtec flow-HTE platform is designed for performing chemical reactions in continuous flow and is equipped with four acid resistant pumps (R2C+) that can operate at 0.05-10.00 mL/min flow rate with a maximum pressure of 42 bar. A variety of microfluidic reactors (mixers), packed column reactors, coil reactors (withstanding up to 250 °C, 20 bar) can be used alone or in series. The temperature can be set individually for all reactors (-40 °C (dry ice) - 250 °C). The individually controlled pumps allow for easy modification of reaction conditions (e.g. flow rates, reactant concentrations, and reactant concentration ratios), quenching of reactions, multi-step reactions etc. An autosampler may be used both for the addition of reactants and for collecting products. Solvents, reactant solutions and products may be kept under nitrogen or other inert gas.
Peptide synthesis laboratory
The Department of Chemistry has a fully automated Biotage Initiator+ Alstra for microwave assisted peptide synthesis. The instrument is equipped for 5 mL, 10 mL and 30 mL reaction vials and can be used for synthesis of peptides in up to 2 mmol scale. The laboratory is also equipped with a Dionex semi-preparative HPLC instrument with automated fraction collection.
The lab has been established through funding from the Trond Mohn Foundation.
