Device and method for monitoring crystallization

US9284659B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Xtal Concepts GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Christian Betzel · Schenefeld, DE
• Rolf Hilgenfeld · Stade, DE
• Dierk Hilterhaus · Kirchgellersen, DE
• Thomas Klupsch · Jena, DE
• Peter Muehlig · Jena, DE
• Karsten Dierks · Wieren, DE
• Arne Meyer · Hamburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 30, 2011
• Grant date: Mar 15, 2016
• Expiry date: Dec 16, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T117/1008
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method for crystallizing a substance dissolved in a solvent, including the following steps: introducing a solvent volume containing the substance into a chamber having a preset temperature, humidity, and gas composition, adding a predetermined volume of a precipitant to the solvent volume containing the substance, allowing the solvent to evaporate while simultaneously observing structural changes in the solvent volume containing the substance and the precipitant by means of dynamic light scattering, detecting weight changes and determining the molarities, making an association with the location in the phase diagram on the basis of the DLS measurement and the results of the molarity determination, allowing a predetermined number of crystal nuclei to form by adding solvent or adding precipitant, putting the solvent volume containing the substance and the precipitant into a metastable state by adding solvent and/or protein solution or by allowing the concentration of the dissolved substance to decrease by allowing nucleation cores to form, maintaining the metastable state by adding a predetermined amount of the substance to the solvent volume containing the substance and the precipi…