Two-Phase Reactions in Microdroplets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019352247-A1
Application number	US-201816479024-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 21, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Improved two phase chemical reactions (liquid-liquid or liquid-gas) are provided by forming microdroplets of either or both liquid reagents and configuring the reaction as a collision between the microdroplet reagent and the other reagent. We have found that this approach can provide high reaction yields in short times (<1 s) without the use of a phase transfer catalyst.

First claim

1 . A method for performing a chemical reaction, the method comprising:
selecting a first liquid reagent; selecting a second liquid reagent, wherein the first liquid reagent and the second liquid reagent are immiscible with respect to each other; nebulizing the first liquid reagent in a first shearing gas flow to provide first microdroplets of the first reagent; configuring the second liquid reagent as second microdroplets of the second reagent in a second shearing gas flow, or as a thin film of the second reagent; directing the first microdroplets at the second reagent to provide a chemical reaction between the first and second liquid reagents by colliding the first microdroplets with the second reagent.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first microdroplets have a diameter from 0.1 micron to 100 microns.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second microdroplets have a diameter from 0.1 micron to 100 microns or the thin film of the second reagent has a thickness of 100 microns or less.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical reaction is selected from the group consisting of: C-, N-, O- and S-alkylation; etherification; esterification; transesterification; condensation; carbene reaction; nucleophilic displacement epoxidation; oxidation; and polymerization.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a reaction time of the chemical reaction is 1 second or less.

6 . A method for performing a chemical reaction, the method comprising:
selecting a liquid reagent; selecting a gaseous reagent; nebulizing the liquid reagent in a first shearing gas flow to provide microdroplets of the liquid reagent; directing the microdroplets at the gaseous reagent to provide a chemical reaction between the liquid reagent and the gaseous reagent by colliding the first microdroplets with the gaseous reagent.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first shearing gas flow is a shearing gas flow of the gaseous reagent.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the gaseous reagent is provided at least in part in a second gas flow distinct from the first shearing gas flow, and wherein the first shearing gas flow and the second gas flow are directed at each other.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first shearing gas flow is a shearing gas flow of the gaseous reagent.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the microdroplets have a diameter from 0.1 micron to 100 microns.

11 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the chemical reaction is selected from the group consisting of: C-, N-, O- and S-alkylation; etherification; esterification; transesterification; condensation; carbene reaction; nucleophilic displacement epoxidation; oxidation; and polymerization.

12 . The method of claim 6 , wherein a reaction time of the chemical reaction is 1 second or less.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Zare Richard N
• Yan Xin

Classifications

• B05B7/0846

  with jets being only jets constituted by a liquid or a mixture containing a liquid · CPC title

• B01J10/00

  Chemical processes in general for reacting liquid with gaseous media other than in the presence of solid particles, or apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J19/08 takes precedence; separation, e.g. distillation, also combined with chemical reactions B01D, {e.g. B01D3/009}) · CPC title

• B01J14/00

  Chemical processes in general for reacting liquids with liquids; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• C07C51/255 Primary

  of compounds containing six-membered aromatic rings without ring-splitting · CPC title

• B01J2204/002

  the feeding side being of particular interest · CPC title