Some reagents have a reputation. They’re the kind that make chemists shiver; toxic gases, unstable intermediates, or compounds that react faster than you can say “exotherm.”
In traditional batch development, these haunted molecules, think diazonium salts, azides, peroxides, phosgene, or fluorine, are avoided for good reason. They’re unpredictable, hazardous, and difficult to control. But avoiding them also means missing out on some of chemistry’s most powerful transformations.
That’s where flow chemistry changes the story.
By working in precisely controlled flow reactors, hazardous substances, which might even be generated and consumed in situ, are present in tiny quantities, under optimal conditions. The heat and mass transfer are exceptional, meaning even the most reactive species can be safely tamed. Runaway reactions become a thing of the past, and highly exothermic or toxic steps become just another part of the workflow.
With flow, the haunted becomes harmless, the scary becomes scalable, and the impossible becomes practical. Suddenly, reagents once considered too spooky to handle reveal their full synthetic potential, efficiently, safely, and continuously.
So, this Halloween, don’t fear ghosts in your chemistry. Invite them into flow and watch your haunted molecules come to life.