High-pressure multi-cell reactor

A multi-cell reactor for parallel reactions comprises an annular array of reactor vessels mounted into a carousel having upper and lower plates. The upper plate seals to each vessel by an O-ring and is held in place, when sealed, by a rotary ring having keyhole slots which engage, on rotation, with undercut portions at the top of an annular array of retaining posts. The upper plate has a high-pressure gas connection to each cell, fed from a common manifold. Jacking posts having threaded upper ends are used, in conjunction with wing nuts, to press the upper plate initially against the vessels, before the locking plate is rotated, the wing nuts being thereafter released. The locking plate and pressure supply are mechanically interlocked to prevent wrong operation. The reactor is of a sized to fit on a conventional laboratory magnetic stirrer.