Crystallisation & particle studiesConfigured for your chemistry

Crystallisation and Particle Studies Systems

Solubility curves and metastable zone width across eight reactors at once, and real-time detection of dissolution and nucleation from 3 mL to over 10 L. One monitoring technology, at whichever scale you are working.

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What do you need to do?
1Screen solubility & MSZW across many samplesCrystalSCAN2Monitor crystallisation in a single vesselCrystalEYES
The unit

CrystalSCAN — parallel screening platform

CrystalSCAN automated parallel crystallisation screening platform CrystalSCAN reaction vessel with mechanical stirrer and turbidity probe Solubility and supersolubility curves showing the metastable zone

Up to eight independently controlled reactors, 2 mL to 500 mL, −60 to +200 °C, with automated stirring, heating, cooling and dosing. Solubility curves and metastable zone width for multiple conditions in a single run.

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The probe

CrystalEYES — crystallisation monitoring

CrystalEYES turbidity probes fitted to a reactor The CrystalEYES probe range Turbidity and temperature trace showing dissolution and onset of crystallisation

Turbidity and temperature (optional pH) measured in real time, detecting dissolution and nucleation points. 5 mm NIR probes scale from a 3 mL test tube to vessels over 10 L — change the probe, not the electronics.

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Showing parallel crystallisation screeningreal-time crystallisation monitoring only. Show everything ↑
The unit · Parallel screening

CrystalSCAN — solubility and metastable zone width, eight samples at a time

CrystalSCAN is an automated parallel crystallisation reactor system for solubility-curve determination and metastable zone width analysis. Equipped with CrystalEYES probes, it detects dissolution and nucleation in real time across every reactor, so a screen that would otherwise run one condition at a time produces a full picture in a single run. Every system is fully customisable to your requirements.

What the platform does

  • A fully automated unit for small-scale evaluation of multiple solvents and samples in parallel, giving reliable solubility data
  • Automatically generates the metastable zone width (MSZW) and solubility curve in multiple reactors
  • Controlled ramp rates give repeatable results — solubility and recrystallisation points from a single heat/cool cycle
  • Cyclic dilution after each heat/cool cycle reveals the MSZW across a range of concentrations in one unattended run
  • A high-throughput platform typically configured with eight independently controlled reactors, for simultaneous small-scale experiments across multiple conditions in one streamlined run
  • Each reactor carries CrystalEYES monitoring for accurate, real-time detection of dissolution and nucleation — precise solubility curves and metastable zone width
  • Independent temperature control per sample, each with its own sensor and controller, giving over 100 °C of range between samples at any one time
  • Automated stirring, heating, cooling and liquid dosing through integrated syringe pumps — consistent, repeatable conditions with less manual intervention
  • Independent magnetic stirring per zone with individual magnets and motors; magnetic fleas, suspended mechanical or overhead drives, and a stirrer design that prevents crystal damage — a mechanical stirrer raised off the base, with the turbidity probe as the shaft
  • Interchangeable vessels — HPLC vials, test tubes, reaction tubes, flat-bottom flasks, and custom or high-pressure vessels from 1 mL to 500 mL
  • Optional quick-connect manifold and block for condensing and inerting in the larger reactors
  • All data captured within a single system for efficient comparison across experiments, in a compact footprint — built on H.E.L’s multi-reactor PolyBLOCK platform
Solubility and metastable zone width are the two numbers a crystallisation process is designed around. CrystalSCAN measures both, for eight conditions, in one run.
Solubility curvesMetastable zone widthCrystallisation screeningPolymorph screeningProcess optimisation
Solubility and supersolubility curves with the labile and metastable zones marked
Solubility and supersolubility curves — the metastable zone is the operating window a process is designed to sit in
CrystalEYES probe inside a CrystalSCAN sample tube
A 5 mm CrystalEYES probe in a sample tube — small enough for valuable compounds

What the data looks like

Temperature and turbidity against time for the recrystallisation of 4-acetylbiphenyl on CrystalSCAN
Basic data from CrystalSCAN — temperature and turbidity against time for the recrystallisation of 4-acetylbiphenyl
Turbidity and reactor temperature over a single heat and cool cycle, showing the solid dissolving and the onset of crystallisation
Solubility and recrystallisation points from a single cycle — controlled ramp rates, repeatable results across three experiments
Potassium nitrate crystallisation in water: temperature and turbidity over repeated heat and cool cycles with dilution after each cycle
Cyclic dilution to reveal the MSZW at a range of concentrations — potassium nitrate in water, diluted after each heat/cool cycle

Specifications

SpecificationCrystalSCAN
Reactors8 samples in parallel (up to 120 mL); 4-sample version optional (up to 500 mL)
Sample volumesInterchangeable, 2 mL to 500 mL
Temperature range−60 °C (circulator-dependent) to +200 °C
Temperature controlIndependent per sample — each has its own sensor and controller (>100 °C range at any time)
MeasurementAccurate solubility & MSZW data; works in clear and dark / coloured solutions without set-up change
MonitoringProprietary CrystalEYES NIR turbidity probes + WinISO software
AgitationIndependent magnetic stirring per zone (individual magnets & motors); magnetic fleas, suspended mechanical, or overhead (high-speed / high-torque)
Reactor vesselsHPLC vials, test tubes, reaction tubes, flat-bottom flasks, custom & high-pressure vessels — working volumes 1 mL to 500 mL
Reflux / inertingOptional quick-connect manifold & block for condensing and inerting in larger reactors
AutomationAutomated dilution / solvent addition via integrated syringe pumps
PlatformBuilt on H.E.L’s multi-reactor PolyBLOCK platform

Reactor count, sample volumes, vessels and agitation are all configured to your workflow. Final values confirmed on specification.

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The probe · Real-time monitoring

CrystalEYES — watching dissolution and nucleation as they happen

Crystallisation determines the quality, performance and manufacturability of a chemical or pharmaceutical product, and most of what matters happens in the moments either side of nucleation. CrystalEYES measures turbidity, temperature and optionally pH in real time, so those points are observed rather than inferred — in a single flask on the bench, or in eight reactors at once inside a CrystalSCAN. Every system is fully customisable to your requirements.

What the system does

  • Measures turbidity and temperature as standard, with optional pH monitoring, for a comprehensive real-time view of the crystallisation
  • Real-time identification of dissolution and nucleation events — solubility and recrystallisation points read directly from sharp changes in signal
  • A Near-Infrared source sends light through the solution and back to a detector via a mirror: as particles increase, intensity drops and turbidity rises
  • Measures equally well in clear or dark and coloured solutions, with no change of set-up
  • Probe options from roughly 3 mL test tubes to vessels over 10 L — scaling between applications needs only a probe change, not new electronics or software
  • Probes in 316 stainless steel and Hastelloy for chemical compatibility, and just 5 mm in diameter so they suit the smallest vessels
  • Upgradeable from monitoring to full process control — heating, cooling, stirring and liquid dosing — with multi-channel configurations for several reactors at once
  • Automatic CSV logging, real-time graphical display and one-click export to Excel through WinISO Control software
Scaling from a 3 mL test tube to a 10 L vessel needs only a probe change — the electronics, the software and the method all stay the same.
Solubility determinationMetastable zone widthNucleation detectionDissolution detectionProcess developmentScale-up
Turbidity and temperature trace showing solid dissolving and the onset of crystallisation
Turbidity against temperature: the solid dissolving, then the onset of crystallisation, both read straight off the trace
The CrystalEYES probe range in stainless steel and Hastelloy
Probe options from 3 mL test tubes to vessels over 10 L, in 316 stainless steel and Hastelloy
CrystalEYES monitoring system with control PC and probes
Monitoring on the bench, upgradeable to full control of heating, cooling, stirring and dosing

Specifications

SpecificationCrystalEYES
Measured parametersTurbidity and temperature (standard); optional pH monitoring
DetectionReal-time dissolution and nucleation — solubility & recrystallisation points
Probe scale range~3 mL test tubes to >10 L vessels — scale with a probe change only
Probe materials316 stainless steel and Hastelloy (excellent chemical compatibility)
Probe diameter5 mm — usable in the smallest vessels; up to 8 probes on CrystalSCAN
Max temperature / pressure200 °C; MWP 10 bar at 25 °C
Sensing technologyH.E.L proprietary Near-Infrared (NIR) turbidity sensors
Data handlingAutomatic CSV logging, real-time graphical display, one-click export to Excel
Control & softwareOptional full process control (heat / cool / stir / dose) and multi-channel operation; WinISO Control software

Turbidity and temperature probes are chosen specifically for your application and vessel. Final values confirmed on specification.

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One probe technology, from a single test tube to eight reactors at once.

The same NIR turbidity measurement, the same WinISO software and the same method — whichever scale you are working at.

Configure it your way

Every crystallisation system is specified around your compound and your vessels — probes, sample sizes, agitation and automation are chosen for the work you actually do.

CrystalEYES probe range

Probes & scale

5 mm NIR turbidity probes in 316 stainless steel or Hastelloy, for vessels from roughly 3 mL to over 10 L. Scaling between applications is a probe change — the electronics and software do not alter.

Interchangeable sample vessels

Vessels & volumes

HPLC vials, test tubes, reaction tubes, flat-bottom flasks and custom or high-pressure vessels, with working volumes from 1 mL to 500 mL and a 4-sample option for the larger end.

Automated dosing and temperature control

Automation & control

Automated stirring, heating, cooling and dilution or solvent addition through integrated syringe pumps, with independent temperature control and its own sensor for every sample.

Turbidity trace and data export

Data & software

WinISO Control software with real-time graphical display, automatic CSV logging and one-click export to Excel — plus optional pH monitoring and multi-channel operation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need CrystalSCAN or CrystalEYES?
They are not alternatives. CrystalEYES is the monitoring technology — a Near-Infrared turbidity probe with software that detects dissolution and nucleation in real time, in a single vessel from about 3 mL to over 10 L. CrystalSCAN is the parallel screening platform built around that technology, running up to eight independently controlled reactors each with its own CrystalEYES probe. If you need to watch one crystallisation closely, or add monitoring to vessels you already have, start with CrystalEYES. If you need solubility curves and metastable zone width across many conditions at once, you want CrystalSCAN.
What is metastable zone width, and why does it matter?
Between the solubility curve and the supersolubility curve lies the metastable zone — the region where a solution is supersaturated but has not yet nucleated. Its width sets the operating window for a crystallisation: too close to the solubility curve and nothing crystallises, too far past the supersolubility curve and nucleation runs away uncontrolled. Measuring solubility and metastable zone width is what a crystallisation process is designed around, and both come out of a single CrystalSCAN run.
How does the measurement actually work?
A Near-Infrared source sends light through the solution and back to a detector via a mirror. As particles come out of solution the light intensity drops and turbidity rises, so dissolution and recrystallisation points show up as sharp changes in signal. WinISO displays this graphically in real time, and the probes measure equally well in clear or dark and coloured solutions with no change of set-up.
How many samples can CrystalSCAN run at once?
Typically eight independently controlled reactors of up to 120 mL each, with a four-sample version optional for larger volumes up to 500 mL. Every sample has its own temperature sensor and controller, so more than 100 °C of range can be covered across the block at any one time.
What scales does CrystalEYES cover?
From roughly 3 mL test tubes to vessels over 10 L. Scaling between applications requires only a probe change — no modification to the electronics or the software — and the probes are just 5 mm in diameter, so they suit the smallest vessels, which matters when the compound is valuable.
Can it control the crystallisation, or only watch it?
CrystalEYES can be upgraded from monitoring to full process control — heating, cooling, stirring and liquid dosing — with multi-channel configurations for several reactors at once. On CrystalSCAN that automation is there as standard, including dilution and solvent addition through integrated syringe pumps.
Is it customisable to my chemistry?
Yes. Probe material (316 stainless steel or Hastelloy), vessel type and volume from 1 mL to 500 mL, agitation method and the degree of automation are all specified around your compound and your workflow. Customisation is central to H.E.L’s approach.

Selected publications

Determination of nucleation kinetics from the induction time of 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene (FOX-7) in DMSO/WaterFan et al. · Energetic Materials Frontiers · 2021 · CrystalSCANStudy of the Solubility, Supersolubility and Metastable Zone Width of Li₂CO₃ in a mixed-salt systemWang et al. · J. Chemical & Engineering Data · 2018 · CrystalSCANSolubility of 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene in pure solvents and binary mixtures at different temperaturesLiu et al. · Fluid Phase Equilibria · 2018 · CrystalSCANA practical guide to the measurement of turbidity curves of cooling crystallizations from solutionSimon J. Coles & Terence L. Threlfall · CrystEngComm · 2020 · CrystalEYESEffects of Various Inhibitors on the Nucleation of Calcium Oxalate in Synthetic UrineYu-Chao Hsu et al. · Crystals · 2020 · CrystalEYESDetermination of Solubility and Nucleation Kinetics of Valnemulin Hydrochloride SolvateJinbo Ouyang et al. · Journal of Solution Chemistry · 2019 · CrystalEYES

H.E.L crystallisation systems feature in many peer-reviewed studies — these are just six. Subscription or purchase may be required for full access. View all publications →

Related reading

Getting Started with the PolyBLOCKRead article →

The crystallisation range at a glance

CrystalSCAN

CrystalSCAN

The unit — up to 8 parallel reactors for solubility curves and metastable zone width

Jump to section ↑CrystalEYES

CrystalEYES

The probe — real-time turbidity monitoring from 3 mL to over 10 L

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Ready to see your crystallisation in real time?

Talk to a specialist about probe options, reactor configuration and sample sizes for your compound.

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“I use a H.E.L turbidity probe plus temperature probe for the determination of metastable zone widths… The system is easy to use and very robust and records faithfully all the happenings… The probes are neat and so can be used in small vessels, an advantage when dealing with valuable compounds.”

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