A large number of substances are used in synthesis optimization.
These substances are weighed in in the lower milligram range and passed
on to the further experimental procedure. They are usually toxic or
decompose in the ambient air, so that an enclosure under a protective
atmosphere such as argon or helium is necessary. Manual weighing is
complex and time-consuming.
The CHRONECT Quantos handles the weighing process for up to 32 powders in up to 288 1-mL vessels.
How it works
Up to 32 solids can be positioned on one shelf.
These are stored in dosing heads. All information about the solid matter
is stored on an RFID chip and read out via the shelf. Three SBS plates
provide space for different vessel sizes in which the powders are
weighed. Weighing takes place using the Quantos system from
Mettler-Toledo. A six-axis robot transports the powder heads into the
weighing system and prepares the vessels under the dosing head.
The CHRONOS
software controls the system through a simple interface. Only the
powders that are currently on the shelf are displayed. The SBS-plates
are displayed pictorially. The user can now select the solid via a drop
down menu. Following this, the user inserts the quantity to be dosed
into the graphic of the plates. Simple functions, as known from Excel,
facilitate the input into the cells and columns. All weights are
documented.
Possible extension options
To increase the capacity of the target vessels, three additional SBS plates can be provided.
For substances that have to be stored in a sealed vessel, a CHRONECT Robotic with DeCapper module is a possible choice. The CHRONECT Robotic
(xyz-Robot) offers modules for shaking, heating, filtration and solvent
addition in addition to the storage option. This flexible unit is also
controlled by the same software platform.
Funded innovation project
CHRONECT
Quantos is a ZIM-funded project (Central Innovation Program for
Medium-Sized Businesses) and was developed in a cooperation of Axel
Semrau with Mettler-Toledo and Jüke Systemtechnik. At analytica 2018, CHRONECT Quantos was awarded the Application Award of LABORPRAXIS in the category laboratory technology.