Flash Chemistry
Fast Organic Synthesis in Microsystems
Chapter One
Introduction
We tend to think that what we usually do is appropriate. This is often true
in our daily life. However, it is not necessarily true in the field of science.
For example, we usually run reactions in a centimeter size flask in an
organic chemistry laboratory. Why? The reason is probably, that the sizes
of the flasks are similar to the size of our hands. However, the sizes of the
flasks are not necessarily appropriate from a molecular-level viewpoint.
Flasks are often too big for the control of molecular reactions. Scientifically,
smaller reactors such as microreactors provide a much better
molecular environment for reactions. What about reaction times? Reactions
in laboratory synthesis usually take minutes to hours to obtain a
product in a sufficient amount. Why? It is probably because a time interval
of minutes to hours is acceptable and convenient for human beings. In
such a range of time, we can recognize how the reaction proceeds. We start
a reaction, wait for a while, and stop it in this ran ... read full excerpt from Flash Chemistry: Fast Organic Synthesis in Microsystems ebook
