A NOVEL PROCESS UTILIZING IN-LINE HPLC FOR PHOTOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS

PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS CAN BE A USEFUL ROUTE TO THE SYNTHESIS OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS WHICH ARE NOT READILY PRODUCED BY CONVENTIONAL THERMAL METHODS. HOWEVER, PHOTOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS IS FREQUENTLY IMPRACTICALLY BY CURRENT REACTOR TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE OF ABSORPTION RADIATION BY THE ACCUMULATING PRODUCTS. THIS EFFECT REDUCES REACTION EFFICIENCY, YIELDING PRODUCT PURITY. A NOVEL PROCESS TO ALLEVIATE THESE DIFFICULTIES IS PROPOSED HERE. ITIS BASED ON THE UNIQUES AND UNTESTED IDEA THAT CONTINUOUS REMOVAL OF REACTION PRODUCTS DURING IRRADIATION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY EMPLOYING CLOSED-LOGULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE AND VISIBLE IRRADIATION OF A FLOWING REACTANT MIXTURE TOGETHER WITH IN-LINE PRODUCT SEPARATION BY PREPARATIVE PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY (HPLC). THE OVERALL RESEARCH OBJECTIVE IS TO EXPERIMENTALLY INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILTY OF THIS PROCESS. IT WILL BE TESTED ON A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED APPARATUS REQUIRING THE CONVERGENCE DIVERSE TECHNOLOGIES. THE ULTIMATE TEST WILL BE TO COMPARE PRODUCT YIELD AND PURITY BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL AND THE PROPOSED PROCESS, USING A WELL KNOWN PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTION PHOTOISOMERIZATION OF TRANS-STILBENE HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IF THE PROCESS ACHIEVES SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT THERE WILL BE AN INCENTIVE FOR PHASE II RESEARCH ON DESOPTIMIZATION. THE ANTICIPATED BENEFIT WILL BE TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE COST EFFECTIVNESS OF A WIDE VARIETY OF LIQUID PHOTOCHEMICAL SYNTHESES.