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Researcher

Christophe Vande Velde

  • Research Expertise:My expertise is situated in organic synthesis and structure determination, in the framework of structure-activity relationships, physical organic chemistry and catalysis. Techniques available in-house are single crystal diffraction and thermal techniques (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and reaction calorimetry ) Research is currently situated in three projects: 1. Synthesis and characterisation of scaffolds for catalyst immobilisation 2. Design of a continuous crystallisation reactor 3. Depolymerisation of PUR for reuse of the recovered fractions
  • Keywords:REACTION CALORIMETRY, CALORIMETRY, Chemistry (incl. biochemistry)
  • Disciplines:Thermal analysis, Organic chemical synthesis, Physical organic chemistry, Chemical crystallography, Catalysis, Chemical process design, Process control
  • Research techniques:SIngle crystal x-ray diffraction is the gold standard for structure determination in crystalline materials, and provides information on the identity of the atoms present, their bond lengths and angles, the molecular conformation in the crystal as well as stereochemical information. A crystal of 0.1 to 0.2mm size is sufficiënt for structure determination. Differential scanning calorimetry is a technique that heats up or cools down a small smaple (few mg) under controlled atmosphere, and continuously monitors the energy flow into or out of the sample. In this way phase transitions (melting), glass transitions and heat capacities can be detected, as well as thermal stability. Thermogravimetry is a microgram balance in which the sample is heated with an oven. THe temperature is raised, and the mass is continually measured. Decomposition of the sample is registered in function of the temperature. Reaction calorimetry, determining heats of reaction for liquid mixtures with a volume between 300 and 1000 mL. These measurements are useful to determine in safety studies what is the maximum attainable temperature of the reaction mixture in case of a cooling failure, and to adapt the process to avoid calamities.
  • Users of research expertise:anyone who has a need for identification or stereochemistry of crystalline materials anyone having an interest in the thermal behaviour of their materials (glues, paints, polymers, catalysts, ...) chemical process developers, companies executing a chemical process on which no data were ever collected on heat evolution or criticality class