| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/G027544/1 |
| Title: |
Enabling Oxidation Reactions on a Large Scale: Combining Electrochemistry with Flow |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hii, Professor KK( |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
Imperial College London |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
07 March 2009 |
Ends: |
06 September 2011 |
Value (£): |
436,420
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Chemical Synthetic Methodology |
Electrochemical Science & Eng. |
| Reactor Engineering |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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23 Sep 2008
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Flow Chemistry
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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When a molecule is oxidised, it either loses electrons (increasing its 'oxidation state') or, more commonly in organic chemistry, it gains an oxygen atom from another molecule (the 'oxidant'). Oxygenated molecules are important intermediates for the preparation of complex molecules, including medicinally interesting compounds, and are thus important for phamaceutical production.However, oxidation reactions are often difficult to achieve on a large scale, due to the following reasons:(i) Many oxidants are either toxic, or are thermally unstable materials that are potentially explosive;(ii) Oxidation reactions are by nature exothermic and may involve induction periods - this makes a reaction inherently unsafe, as thermal runaway is unpredictable and thus difficult to control.(iii) Presence of oxidants in organic solvents may generate organic peroxides, which are explosive at a certain limit, and may also cause thermal runaway reactions;(iv) The reaction can be unselective, producing many products, which may be difficult and costly to separate.This project proposes to overcome these problems by designing a new equipment to perform these reactions safely and cleanly, using largely electricity and water to generate oxidants. As the oxidant is generated and consumed immediately, the effective concentration of the reactive oxidant is kept to a minimum during the process, thus eliminating explosive hazards and environmental exposure. We are interested in 'waste free' reactions that produces side products that are environmentally benign, such as water, or in a form that can be recovered and reused (recycled).
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.imperial.ac.uk |