Continuous synthesis of dolutegravir sodium crystals using liquid-gas heterogeneous microreactor

In this work, a liquid-gas heterogeneous microreactor was developed for investigating continuous crystallization of dolutegravir sodium (DTG), as well as revealing reaction kinetics and mixing mechanism with 3-min data acquisition. The reaction kinetics models were established by visually recording the concentration variation of reactants over time in the microchannel via adding pH-sensitive fluorescent dye. The mixing intensification mechanism of liquid-gas flow was quantified through the fluorescent signal to indicate mixing process, demonstrating an outstanding mixing performance with a mixing time less than 0.1 s. Compared with batch crystallization, continuous synthesis of dolutegravir sodium using liquid-gas heterogenous microreactor optimizes crystal distribution size, and successfully modifies the crystal morphology in needle-like habit instead of rod-like habit. The microreactor continuous crystallization can run for 5 h without crystal blockage and achieve D90 of DTG less than 30 mu m. This work provides a feasible approach for continuously synthesizing dolutegravir sodium, and can optimize the existing pharmaceutical crystallization. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

A liquid-gas heterogeneous microreactor was developed to continuously crystallize dolutegravir sodium, revealing reaction kinetics and mixing mechanism. The reaction kinetics models were established by visually recording the concentration variation of reactants over time. The mixing intensification mechanism of liquid-gas flow was quantified through the fluorescent signal, indicating outstanding mixing performance. Compared with batch crystallization, continuous synthesis in the microreactor optimized crystal distribution size and modified crystal morphology.