Technical Capabilities

Complex and multi-step synthesis

Thomas Swan offers a wide range of complex and multi-step synthesis capabilities. Our aim is to provide a fast, flexible and confidential service. The following list details our current range of synthetic capabilities:

Polymerisations and Polymer Modification

More than 50 years industrial experience in a broad range of polymerisation technologies

Alkylations

Experience in using dimethyl sulfate as alkylation agents plus use of Friedel Crafts alkylation chemistry at up to 1000tpa capactiy

Nitrations

Dedicated facility for industrial applications

Aminations and Amidations

Dedicated and multipurpose plants capable of performing these chemistries

Halogenations

Commercial scale halogenation capacity to 500tpa with the capability for cGMP manufacture

Cyclisation

A broad range of capabilities including Diels Alder, primarily for household, health and personal care industries

Isomerisation

With the capacity to isomerise and isolate products by distillation

Sulphonation

Sulphonation of aromatic substrates and polyaromatic polymers

Maleinisation and Alder-ene

100tpa capacity at temperatures up to 270oc

Thiocyanation

25 years of experience in aromatic thiocyanation up to 500tpa

Oxidation

Commercial scale experience of a broad range of carbon and hetero atom oxidations

Diazotisations

Several years of experience of diazotisation including hair and personal care product applications

General technologies performed include

Amidation

Chlorination

Friedel Crafts

Hydrogenation

Amination

Cyclisation

Grignard

Isomerisation

Nitration

Oxidation

Polymerisation

Sulponation

Thiocyanation

Extensive downstream processing capabilities including:

Drying

Grinding and milling

Formulation

Distillation capabilities

Bulk storage

Advanced Processing Facilities

For more than 30 years Thomas Swan has been at the forefront of cutting-edge innovative process engineering. Current commercial scale facilities include:

High Temperature Processing

Commercial scale batch and continuous furnaces operating under inert conditions and up to 1000oC. This versatile equipment, in a state-of-the-art manufacturing environment, facilitates many specialist techniques including:

Chemical Vapour Deposition

(batch and continuous)

Gas-solid reactions

Gas-solid reactions and other specific reactions including:
i. Reductions and Oxidations
ii. Drying and Calcination
ii. Catalyst processing and activation

Pilot Scale Laboratories

Versatile pilot scale laboratories support not only the commercial scale operations, but also facilitate the production of validation quantities under highly controlled conditions. Facilities include:

Furnaces operating under inert conditions to 1000°C.

Low-temperature processing

Vacuum and Inert atmosphere heat treatments and mixing

Heat, vacuum and freeze drying processes

High-speed shear mixing / high throughput sonication

Liquid-solid reactions

i. Dissolution
ii. Controlled precipitation

Analytical Development Laboratories

Thomas Swan’s recent £200k investment in Analytical Development Services underlines how much we recognise the importance of performing analytical development and method verification. Synchronised perfectly with process development, this ensures all projects are delivered safely to an agreed specification and on time.

Our extensive range of in-house characterisation tools includes:

GC

with FID detector, liquid and headspace injection techniques

GCMS

HPLC

with UV or Diode Array detectors

GPC

with Refractive Index Detector

Atomic Absorption

Raman Spectroscopy

TGA

ICP-OES

Scanning UV

Viscosity

(Cone & Plate, Brookfield and PRS)

Standard wet analysis

including auto-titration

Physical properties testing equipment

X-rite Colour Spectrophotometer

QUV

Tensile tester

Seal Strength tester

Friction tester

Impact tester

Conical Mandrel bend tester

Gel Strength tester

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