We bid farewell to Florian Barbaz, a PhD student in the D-Carbonize MSCA network, who has been an integral part of our team at the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis.

During his time here, Florian focused on the valorization of biobased glycerol, a waste stream from biodiesel production. Using continuous flow chemistry, he developed scalable methods for key transformations such as hydrochlorination, dechlorination, aminolysis, and oxazolidinone synthesis. His work contributes to more sustainable chemical manufacturing – and exciting publications are on the way.

Florian now continues his PhD with a three-month secondment with our partners at Corning (Avon, France), followed by a stay at the University of Groningen in the group of Prof. Paolo Pescarmona.

We thank him for his excellent work and collaborative spirit, and wish him all the best in the next steps of his journey!

We are pleased to share that Prof. Jean-Christophe Monbaliu had the honour of delivering the opening lecture at the 2025 International School of Process Chemistry – Advanced Edition (ISPROCHEM), held in the picturesque town of Gargnano, Italy. The event brought together a dynamic group of scientists and professionals from both academia and industry to explore advancements in process chemistry.

Prof. Monbaliu’s keynote lecture, titled “Addressing the Feasibility of Reactions Under Flow with Computational Intelligence,” outlined an innovative hybrid approach combining flow chemistry with a priori computational methods. His presentation highlighted how quantum mechanical simulations and machine learning models can help predict reaction feasibility, enabling faster and more rational development of continuous processes.

As part of an ErasmusPlus academic stay, Professor Jean-Christophe Monbaliu recently visited the Università degli Studi di Salerno, where he delivered an introductory course on flow chemistry. The course, designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in continuous flow technology for organic synthesis, was refined thanks to the contributions of Elyse Macors and Diana V. Silva-Brenes.

This academic exchange went far beyond teaching. The visit also included a research seminar, providing an excellent opportunity to present ongoing work from the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis (CiTOS, University of Liège) and to exchange ideas with colleagues and students at the Department of Chemistry and Biology “Adolfo Zambelli”.

The warm welcome, lively discussions, and strong scientific engagement made this ErasmusPlus experience particularly rewarding. Special thanks go to Professor Irene Izzo and all colleagues at the Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia for their hospitality and the intellectually stimulating environment they fostered.

We are proud to share that our very own Jean-Christophe Monbaliu had the honor of delivering a plenary lecture at the third edition of the Italian Flow Chemistry Symposium, held on May 8–9, 2025, in the beautiful coastal city of Bari. The conference brought together leading minds in flow chemistry, and the scenic backdrop of Puglia provided the perfect setting for two days of cutting-edge scientific exchange.

Jean-Christophe’s talk, titled “From Fragile to Feasible: Flow and In Silico Tools to Tame Reactive Nitrogen Species”, highlighted innovative strategies to transform inherently unstable and reactive compounds into practical, scalable synthetic tools—through the synergy of continuous flow chemistry and computational intelligence.

Through a series of carefully selected case studies, Jean-Christophe demonstrated how flow chemistry—thanks to its superior control over mixing, heat, and mass transfer—can safely harness the reactivity of such species, including nitrosoarenes, lithium enolates, and reactive nitrogen oxides like N2O3 and acetyl nitrate. A key theme of the lecture was the increasing role of computational tools in process development. From density functional theory (DFT) to machine learning-guided models, Jean-Christophe illustrated how in silico strategies can guide reagent selection, predict kinetic behavior, and identify optimal conditions—often before any experiments are run. This “a priori intelligence” greatly accelerates feasibility assessment and reduces costly trial-and-error in the lab.

His talk aimed to emphasize a holistic vision where fundamental science and applied technologies come together. Whether it’s for safer processes, greener chemistry, or accelerated drug development, the combination of flow technology and digital tools is not just enabling new reactions—it’s transforming how we think about feasibility and scalability in modern synthesis.

Last week, Elyse, Florian, and Diana had the pleasure of representing the CITOS team at the April 2025 edition of the Corning Flow Chemistry Workshop, held in Avon, France. This immersive, hands-on event provided a unique opportunity to deepen our knowledge of Corning’s advanced flow technology platforms and to reconnect with long-standing partners and collaborators.

The workshop included detailed technical sessions on Corning’s reactor systems, live demonstrations, and insightful discussions around applications of flow chemistry in both research and industrial settings. Our team also had the chance to tour Corning’s facilities and interact directly with scientists and engineers who, like us, are passionate about pushing the boundaries of chemical manufacturing.

It was also a great moment to reconnect with the Corning team, whose continued support and expertise remain invaluable to our efforts at CITOS and FloW4all. Collaborations like these are key to translating innovative technologies into practical, scalable solutions.

We thank Corning for the warm welcome and look forward to future joint initiatives!

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of three new Master’s students who have joined CiTOS to complete their thesis projects in continuous flow chemistry. This year, we have the pleasure of welcoming Brecht Schmitz, Aurore Quitin, and Soulaimane Oulad Mansour to the team!

Each of them is embarking on a distinct research challenge, while contributing to our broader mission of advancing synthetic methodologies under flow conditions:

Brecht is working alongside Loïc on the development of a flow synthesis platform for hydrazine building blocks—key intermediates for the preparation of essential antibiotics. His project aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and scalability of this complex chemistry.

Aurore Quitin, mentored by Hubert, is tackling the synthesis of timolol, a ?-blocker used in the treatment of glaucoma. Her goal is to redesign and implement this synthesis in flow, addressing challenges in reactivity and selectivity to deliver a robust and efficient process.

Soulaimane Oulad Mansour is continuing a promising line of work initiated by former members Isaline, Thomas, and Anita. His project focuses on nitrosocarbamates and their application in Diels–Alder reactions, aiming to explore the scope and mechanistic nuances of these reactive intermediates under flow conditions.

We’re thrilled to support their learning journey and look forward to seeing their creativity and dedication shape meaningful progress in the lab.

This spring, we are delighted to host two PhD interns from Italy who are joining CiTOS for a research stay focused on tackling complex synthetic challenges using continuous flow chemistry. Please join us in welcoming Davide Gariboldiand Luca Di Marino!

Davide Gariboldi joins us from the Università degli Studi di Milano, where he is conducting his PhD in the laboratory of Prof. Alessandra Puglisi. At CiTOS, Davide is working on oxidation reactions using potassium permanganate, a powerful but notoriously challenging reagent due to the formation of insoluble manganese dioxide. His project aims to address one of the key bottlenecks in flow chemistry—managing solids—by developing innovative strategies to harness this reaction in a continuous process.

Luca Di Marino comes to us from the University of Salerno, under the supervision of Prof. Irene Izzo. His work at CiTOS focuses on lithiation–addition reactions in flow, with a particular emphasis on scaling up lab-scale experiments to a Corning G1 pilot-scale reactor. Luca’s project seeks to demonstrate the superior performance, safety, and scalability of flow chemistry compared to traditional batch processes.

Benvenuti e buon lavoro!

Meanwhile, in Austria…. JC and Hubert participated in the IMRET17 conference! It was a great conference filled with many interesting speakers.

From CiTOS, JC gave a talk centered around leveraging temperature to intensify reactions for flow. One of the most relevant aspects of the research presented is the development of a priori tools that allow to estimate optimal reaction conditions before experimentation. This work represents the fruit of many years of hard work here at the University of Liège and we are happy to share it with the flow chemistry community at Graz!

Hubert presented his creative automation of a flow system for nitration reactions—developed in-house using accessible, affordable components. This system is part of a US FDA funded project focused on producing essential medicines from biosourced starting materials. The project will be further developed downstream by our collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Congratulations to Jean-Christophe Monbaliu on the official reception of the Corning International Prize for Outstanding Work in Continuous Flow Reactors & Chemistry. We are especially grateful to have had the honor to host Jiang, Yi, GM of global AFR & AFPT and Basile Giese, PLM & regional commercial director AFR & AFPT, at the University of Liège last week to personally deliver the Corning International Award. The award is beautifully crafted by Steuben Glass LLC in the purest form of glass. Corning’s support has been crucial to the CiTOS’ growth and its impact in research, education and outreach. We hope the entire community will join us in celebrating this great event and look forward to the exciting flow chemistry road ahead

Please join us in welcoming Mathilde, our latest PhD student  at CiTOS!
Mathilde Croissant, a recent graduate from the Ecole européenne de chimie polymères et matériaux de Strasbourg (ECPM), has joined CiTOS to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Jean-Christophe Monbaliu.

Supported by the WEL Research Institute, Mathilde’s research focuses on the application of computational chemistry and artificial intelligence to flow chemistry. Her work here at the University of Liège aims to develop innovative approaches that push the boundaries of modern chemistry through advanced computational techniques.