Equipment

Modular robotic system at the heart of our automated chemistry workflows, featuring a large deck with a variety of tools, reactors and workup capabilities. 

Installed tools, capabilities and specs: 

• 4-Needlehead: Universal liquid handling tool for transferring liquids or dispensing bulk solvents. Volume range from 0.1 to 25 mL. Stainless steel septum-piercing needles, one channel with wider bore for picking up filter tips 
• GDU-V: Gravimetric liquid dispensing tool using disposable displacement tips for dosing reactive or viscous liquids in small quantities (µL to mL). Precision of built-in balance: 0.1 mg. 
• GDU-Pfd: Cartridge-based, gravimetric solid dispensing tool for bulk substances. Dosing range: >5 mg to g. Up to 16 cartridges on deck, precision of built-in balance: 0.1 mg. 
• GDU-Swile: Capillary-based solid dispensing tool for handling small amounts of fine-grained powders in the mg-range. Uses 2 mL and 4 mL storage vials as source. Precision of built-in balance: 0.1 mg, useful combination with on-deck balance. 
• Multigripers: Gripper tools to move single vials or loaded plates around the deck. 
• Screw capper: Tool for opening and closing screw-cap vials. Currently set up for 2 mL GC-vials and 4 mL storage vials 
• On-deck balance: Precision 0.01 mg for total weighing mass <220 g, above that 0.1 mg. Suited for QC, precise weigh-outs and solid dosing using GDU-SWILE 
• SPE Rack: Rack for automated SPE and SLE procedures, 80 positions, 1 mL or 3 mL cartridges. 
• Magnetic tumble stirrer: Magnetic stirring reactor with 3 MTP-format reactor positions with individual temperature control. Uniform stirring across a plate with up to 600 rpm. Temperature range: -20 °C to 180 °C. 
• Vortex shaker: Temperature controlled shaking frame for 3 MTP-format plates, temperature range: -20 °C to 180 °C. - MTP-Pressure block: Reactor block for reactive gases (H2, CO, CO2) and vacuum applications (evaporation). Temperature controlled (-20 °C to 180 °C) shaking frame for one MTP-position. Maximum gauge pressure 10 bar (rupture disc 100 bar). 

• mBraun GB: Custom glove box to house the SWING XL platform providing a highly inert atmosphere for sensitive compounds. Ionizers ensure accurate solid and liquid dosing avoiding the build-up of electrostatic charges. Working gases: Ar or N₂, currently on N₂ (<0.1 ppm of O₂ and <0.1 ppm H₂O). Featuring a redundant gas purifier unit, heat exchanger and solvent filter.

Applications: multiparameter reaction optimisation, chemical reaction discovery by HTE screening, parallel synthesis

A small bench-top pipetting platform for liquid handling in the range of 1 µL to 1000 µL. 11 deck positions, flexible for tubes, small bottles and well-plates up to 384 wells. Heater/shaker on deck (electric heating up to 95°C, shaking up to 3000 rpm). Following single- and multichannel pipettes are available: 

• 1CH1000: single-channel, volume range: 100 µL - 1000 µL 
• 1CH300: single-channel, recommended volume range: 20 µL - 300 µL
• 1CH20: single-channel, recommended volume range: 1 µL - 20 µL
• 8CH300: 8 channels, recommended volume range: 20 µL - 300 µL 
• 8CH20: 8 channels, recommended volume range: 1 µL - 20 µL 

Preferably for water and non-aggressive solvents of low volatility. Versatile and easy to set up, low lead-time. Workflows scripted in GUI editor or via Python. Almost everything can be customized and tuned according to user needs. 

Possible applications include sample preparation, volumetric liquid-liquid extractions, plate preparations for assays. 

3 machines available (1 in HTEL, 2 for teaching and training). User training available.

Capable bench-top liquid handling robot featuring a large deck area (12 slots + 4 staging positions for labware and tips), a 96-channel pipette and a gripper to transport labware around the deck. The 96-channel pipette supports a volume range of 5 µL to 1000 µL including liquid level detection and auto-calibration. Single-Channel, row and column pipetting possible. Optimal for 96 and 384 well plates. Only water and non-volatile, non-corrosive solvents allowed.

Available modules: Heater/shaker (electric heating up to 95°C, shaking up to 3000 rpm), magnetic beads module.

Workflows can be scripted in GUI (web app) or in python, use of variable inputs read from .csv-files is possible. Quick transfers allow for using the 96-channel pipette without extensive programming for transferring from 1 plate into another.

User training available.

Multimode plate to support absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence measurements. It features monochromator-based optics for absorbance and fluorescence modes and sensitive filter-optics for luminescence. 

Wavelength ranges: 

• Absorbance: 230 nm - 1000 nm 
• FIuorescence Excitation: 230 nm - 850 nm 
• FIuorescence Emission: 280 nm - 850 nm 
• Glow type luminescence: 380 nm - 600 nm 

Te-inject injectors are included in the HTEL setup, shaking and heating are supported

UHPLC/MS device in the HTEL, featuring a robust UHPLC setup running in reverse phase tandem mode: One column is running on analysis, another identical column is washed and reconditioning at the same time, eliminating the need for post-run column preparation and equilibration. Hence set up for robust and short methods to increase throughput. 

Autosampler features 4 plate positions, measuring from vials and plates (up to 384 wells) supported. Temperature-controllable from 5 °C to 40 °C. 

All eluents by default pass through a DAD (190 – 680 nm), before injected into MS. 

ISQ-EM: Robust Quadrupole MS detector for sensitive quantification and low-resolution qualitative MS up to m/z = 2000. Available ion sources: Heated ESI (default) and APCI.

Glovebox for preparation and storage connected to the Chemspeed Glovebox via a custom antechamber. Features:

• Inert N₂ atmosphere (<0.1 ppm of O₂ and <0.1 ppm H₂O)
• Solvent filter and heat exchanger
• Freezer (down to -35 °C)
• Connected to solvent purification system

Providing dry solvents for sensitive chemistry. Dispensing possible directly at the device or via the outlets in the mBraun Glovebox. Solvents: THF, DCM, toluene, acetonitrile and DMSO.

Refrigerated centrifuge with a rotor for 2 x 3 plates, maximum acceleration ca. 2700xg (4500 rpm max.). Temperature range -20 °C to 40 °C.

Small centrifuge with rotors for Eppendorf vials (1.5 mL or 2 mL) and two well plates (maximum 1.1 mL Deepwell plates). Heating (up to 60 °C) and vacuum applications (don to 20 mbar) supported for sample volume reduction, evaporation and drying. Maximum acceleration: 248xg (1400 rpm).

4 Supelco Visiprep SPE 12 channel SPE manifolds, including a Visidry nitrogen-avaporation systems, are available. 

For plate-recievers and either plate or cartridge-based purification, the HTEL offers a Hypersep vacuum manifold by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

LUMIDOX II LED arrays for 24-WP (MTP-footprint, passively cooled) and adequate reactor blocks. Available wavelengths in the HTEL: 365 nm, 395 nm, 405 nm, 420 nm, 445 nm, 470 nm, 527 nm, white.