(379i) Enabling Hands-on, Multi-Tiered Training, from High School to Industry Levels, on Batch to Flow Chemistry Process Transition

Converting existing batch systems to flow requires knowledge on design and scale-up of bench scale experiments. In pharmaceutical processes, fast transport properties in flow microreactors can be critical for safe high-temperature and pressure reactions, or high-purity processes with enhanced mixing. Flow chemistry training is highly demanded in the pharmaceutical workforce as many companies seek to harness its benefits in product quality, process efficiency and safety. We have developed a laboratory training curriculum on the fundamentals of batch to flow process conversion with experiments and case studies relevant to small-molecule manufacturing. We hereby outline our unique multi-tiered approach designed to target different levels of chemistry and chemical engineering knowledge, from high school to industry. We achieved the flexibility and adaptability by layering high school level chemistry concepts, fundamental mass transfer principles, and real-world complexity with continuous-flow drug synthesis techniques, allowing to adjust the rigor while keeping core concepts and motivating objectives consistent. In this work, we 1) developed a batch to flow case study and lab experiment on the liquid-liquid extraction of salicylic acid, 2) defined learning objectives and calculations at tiered technical levels, and 3) deployed to the respective populations. The training was first deployed to a multilevel mentorship group comprising two high school students who focused on making a calibration curve for measuring salicylic concentration, one undergraduate student and one graduate student who worked on batch to flow extractions and explaining the underlying principles to the less experienced members of the group. The training program was also offered in a graduate reactor design course and a workforce-focused course in partnership with the RAPID Manufacturing USA Institute, providing hands-on exposure and advanced training on flow chemistry fundamentals to a total of 85 people.