In a continuous-flow system equipped with a nonresonant microwave applicator we have investigated how to best assess the actual\r\ntemperature of microwave heated organic solvents with different characteristics. This is non-trivial as the electromagnetic field will\r\ninfluence most traditional methods of temperature measurement. Thus, we used a microwave transparent fiber optic probe, capable\r\nof measuring the temperature inside the reactor, and investigated two different IR sensors as non-contact alternatives to the internal\r\nprobe. IR sensor 1 measures the temperature on the outside of the reactor whilst IR sensor 2 is designed to measure the temperature\r\nof the fluid through the borosilicate glass that constitutes the reactor wall. We have also, in addition to the characterization of the\r\nbefore mentioned IR sensors, developed statistical models to correlate the IR sensor reading to a correct value of the inner temperature\r\n(as determined by the internal fiber optic probe), thereby providing a non-contact, indirect, temperature assessment of the\r\nheated solvent. The accuracy achieved with these models lie well within the range desired for most synthetic chemistry applications.
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