The present invention provides an analytical method for precipitated particles during co-precipitation reaction, comprising: running a co-precipitation reaction in a reaction vessel to form a precipitated product; injecting a tracking metal to the reaction vessel for a given time duration; collecting the precipitated product containing the tracking metal from the reaction vessel in increments of time to obtain multiple product samples; filtering each collected product sample to separate precipitated particles from filtrate; performing elemental analysis for the tracking metal in the precipitated particles of each collected product sample, to obtain the residence time distribution of the precipitated particles in the reaction vessel according to the concentration of the tracking metal in the precipitated particles. By the analytical method, the preferred residence time of the precipitated particles in the reaction vessel can be ascertained, so that it is clear when the precipitated particles should be collected from the reaction vessel.

Methods for use in the synthesis and identification of molecules which bind to a target component of a biological system or modulate the activity of a target are described.

A method of fabricating an elastomeric structure, comprising: forming a first elastomeric layer on top of a first micromachined mold, the first micromachined mold having a first raised protrusion which forms a first recess extending along a bottom surface of the first elastomeric layer; forming a second elastomeric layer on top of a second micromachined mold, the second micromachined mold having a second raised protrusion which forms a second recess extending along a bottom surface of the second elastomeric layer; bonding the bottom surface of the second elastomeric layer onto a top surface of the first elastomeric layer such that a control channel forms in the second recess between the first and second elastomeric layers; and positioning the first elastomeric layer on top of a planar substrate such that a flow channel forms in the first recess between the first elastomeric layer and the planar substrate.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing alkanesulphonic acid by oxidizing an alkyl mercaptan, a dialkyl disulphide and/or a dialkyl polysulphide having three to nine sulphur atoms with an oxidizing agent, wherein additional oxidizing agentis fed into the oxidation if as yet unoxidized alkyl mercaptan and/or unoxidized dialkyl disulphide and/or at least one intermediate from the oxidation of the dialkyl disulphide and/or of the dialkyl polysulphide is present in the reaction output, and a corresponding apparatus for performance of oxidation reactions.

In a process for the epoxidation of an olefin by continuously reacting the olefin with hydrogen peroxide in a methanol solvent on a fixed bed epoxidation catalyst comprising a titanium zeolite, the hydrogen peroxide is used as an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution made by an anthraquinone process, the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is mixed with methanol to give a feed mixture and this feed mixture is filtered before being contacted with the fixed bed epoxidation catalyst.

Protein arrays and their use to assay, in a parallel fashion, the protein products of highly homologous or related DNA coding sequences and described. By highly homologous or related it is meant those DNA coding sequences which share a common sequence and which differ only by one or more naturally occurring mutations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, deletions or insertions, or those sequences which are considered to be haplotypes. Such highly homologous or related DNA coding sequences are generally naturally occurring variants of the same gene. Arrays according to the invention have two or more individual proteins deposited in a spatially defined pattern on a surface in a form whereby a property such as an activity or function of the proteins can be investigated or assayed in parallel by interrogation of the array.

The invention describes a method for the synthesis of compounds comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising two or more sets of primary compounds into microcapsules; such that a proportion of the microcapsules contains two or more compounds; and (b) forming secondary compounds in the microcapsules by chemical reactions between primary compounds from different sets; wherein one or both of steps (a) and (b) is performed under microfluidic control; preferably electronic microfluidic control The invention further allows for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, and which is co-compartmentalised into the microcapsules.

Methods for use in the synthesis and identification of molecules which bind to a target component of a biological system or modulate the activity of a target are described.

A method and apparatus for the physico-chemical encoding of a collection of beaded resin (beads) to determine the chemical identity of bead-anchored compounds by in-situ interrogation of individual beads. The present invention provides method and apparatus to implement color-coding strategies in applications and including the ultrahigh-throughput screening of bead-based combinatorial compounds libraries as well as multiplexed diagnostic and environmental testing and other biochemical assays.

A method and apparatus for the physico-chemical encoding of a collection of beaded resin (beads) to determine the chemical identity of bead-anchored compounds by in-situ interrogation of individual beads. The present invention provides method and apparatus to implement color-coding strategies in applications and including the ultrahigh-throughput screening of bead-based combinatorial compounds libraries as well as multiplexed diagnostic and environmental testing and other biochemical assays.