Finding the best catalyst for a reaction is often laborious, time-consuming and difficult to predict. To speed up your catalyst search, InCatT has the knowledge and infrastructure required for high-throughput screening (HTS) of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.
Catalyst screening for process optimization
Each project is unique and therefore results in the creation of a tailor-made proposal. First of all, we set up a research strategy which is discussed in detail with you. Our priority is to satisfy all your requirements in terms of timeline and process conditions. In the next phase, our equipment allows for the screening of a large numbers of catalysts in a very short time frame (up to 96 catalysts per day). This approach reduces considerably the time of development and grants a faster the time-to-market of your product. All along the project, you are in contact with our experts, taking good care to inform you regularly and clearly on the progress of the project.
Our catalyst library
InCatT’s has a large and representative library of homogeneous catalysts suitable for most reactions. These include:
- chiral and non-chiral hydrogenation catalysts
- hydroformylation catalysts
- palladium cross-coupling catalysts.
In addition, we also have a large library of heterogeneous catalysts which are active in a broad range of functional group reductions. To ensure the best results and deliver a high-performance catalytic process, we work with the best catalyst suppliers, making sure that these catalysts are also available on-scale for further scale up.
For more information, see our application note about our librairies of catalysts.
Supramolecular catalysis
Beside working with commercial catalysts, InCatT has developed new methods to generate unique librairies of catalysts. This approach is based on the use of supramolecular interactions to create a very large amount of new catalysts. Originally developed at the University of Amsterdam, these groundbreaking technologies display unparalleled performances in various chemical reactions. Click here for more information about our supramolecular technologies.
Case Studies
One of our clients from the pharmaceutical industry approached us for developing a new catalytic process involved in the manufacture of an active ingredient. The request concerned the chiral hydrogenation of a challenging substrate for which no commercial catalyst was giving satisfactory results.
For this project, the following research plan was executed:
- Phase 1: lead finding through combinatorial screening of InCatT’s ligands librairy with various metal precursors: an enantioselecitivity of 96% ee was obtained (duration: 2 weeks).
- Phase 2: optimization of the reaction conditions using our AMTECH platform: the TOF was increased to 100 mol. mol-1.h-1 with 96% ee (duration: 1 week).