Intelligent droplet based micro-reactors for chemical synthesis.
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
The application of droplet reactors for autonomous chemical synthesis will be explored to create temporally and spatially patterned synthetic systems. With a grounding in synthetic organic chemistry, dynamic systems chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry, the student will develop important practical skills in chemical synthesis.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Giulia Grelli (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509462/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1970439 | Studentship | EP/N509462/1 | 01/01/2018 | 30/09/2021 | Giulia Grelli |
| Description | Structured and controlled reaction patterning in nature has always fascinated the scientific community and stems from biochemical processes, involving organelles in living cells. Encouraged by current literature studies, an autonomous droplet microreactor for organic synthesis was constructed, based on evaporation-induced surface tension gradients. By mimicking dynamic compartments within cells, both controlled motion of a multi-droplet system and programmed synthesis of organic compounds were implemented, without external stimuli and human intervention. Statistical analysis on consecutive runs are currently undertaken to prove that autonomously sorting droplets can be exploited not only for parallel and selective organic synthesis but also as a reliable and powerful synthetic tool that can be utilised as an alternative to conventional methodologies, such as batch reactions. High degree of product selectivity was observed via temporal and spatial patterning of chemical reactivity and assessed via 1H NMR and HPLC analysis of micro-liter sized droplets, proving that surface tension driven droplet devices can become viable synthetic alternatives to conventional "static" chemical methodologies. Once all quantifications and reliability studies related to this droplet sorting device will be completed; a proposed manuscript can be submitted for review to an appropriate journal of choice. At the same time, a completely different research topic is currently under investigation, which is centred on the production of quaternary ammonium salts. Studies centred on highly substituted indolinium rings synthesis are on their way and their synthesis is believed to occur via a tandem charged [3,3] aza-Claisen rearrangement and thermal cyclisation of ammonium salts. |
| Exploitation Route | Being part of a newly born research group, the results both achieved in the droplet microreactor project and the aza-claisen rearrangement will be beneficial for the research's group development. |
| Sectors | Chemicals |