The Flow State
Making Catalysis More Efficient

For episode 2 of the Modern Chemistry Podcast, I interviewed Russell Taylor, Lecturer in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry & ESPRC Manufacturing Fellow, and Sam Raynes, Ph.D. student. Both at Durham University, UK.

Our theme music is “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod
Music from Film Music
License: CC BY
Connect with me (Paul) on LinkedIn.

• Batch reaction/batch reactor – A batch reaction is where all the ingredients are placed in a single vessel, often heated to allow the reaction to occur. Once the reaction is finished, the end products are collected and usually further purified. A batch reactor is the vessel used.
• Flow reactor/Flow Chemistry – Flow chemistry or continuous chemistry is where the ingredients for the reaction are continually pumped into a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is often some form of a tube, with a catalyst held in place. The reaction chamber is often heated and/or pressurized, and the resulting product will continuously flow out of the reactor as long as source ingredients are fed in.
• Autoclave – This specific example refers to a batch reactor used at a small scale. After the reaction ingredients are added, the autoclave is sealed and can be heated and pressurized to drive the reaction. Examples of these types of reactors can be found here.
• Catalyst – A Catalyst is something used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction. The catalyst itself is not used up in the reaction.
• BioEthanol – Ethanol is common alcohol with two carbon atoms. The molecular formula C2H6O Bioethanol is a term used to describe₂H₆O Bioethanol is a term used to describe ethanol produced by the microbial digestion of waste or unwanted plant material. Although it has many potential uses, it is most commonly used as an additive in petroleum fuels to reduce the requirements for mined petroleum-based fuels.
• Butanol – Butanol is an alcohol with four carbon atoms, with the molecular formula C₄H₉. Although most commonly derived from petrochemical, in the context of this discussion, it can be made by joining two molecules of ethanol together.
• Zeolites – Russel describes zeolites well in the podcast, and if you’re interested in hearing more, check out the Federation of European Zeolite Associations website.

You can find out more information on Russell’s research group page. Alternatively, you can go to Russell or Sam’s LinkedIn pages.