Flow reactor and method of conducting flow reactions

Flow reactor and method of conducting flow reactions

A continuous flow reactor for the reaction of one liquid reagent with another liquid reagent. The reactor has an inner tube, the inner tube defining a first flow path 130 along at least part of the length of the inner tube 102; an outer tube 104, the outer tube enclosing at least a section of the inner tube along its length, so that a second flow path 132 is defined by the space between the outer tube and the inner tube along the length of the tubes; and the inner tube having a plurality of holes (142, fig 6c) through the thickness of the inner tube, the holes being spaced longitudinally along the section of the inner tube enclosed by the outer tube. Flow reactors according to the invention are particularly suited for liquid-liquid reactions and may involve at least one highly reactive reagent. A method of performing flow reactions is also provided.