Phenomenon: accelerated chemical reactions in microdroplets rate constants increased by up to a million-fold relative to bulk.[1] The air/solution interface plays a key role. 

Objective: To understand and use accelerated microdroplet chemistry. 

Methods: Microdroplets are generated by sprays.

Results & Conclusions: Reaction acceleration is driven by partial solvation at interface. high interfacial electric fields create water radical cations that drive redox and acid base reactions [2]. Condensation reactions lead to biopolymers (e.g. peptides) and to green synthesis of heterocyclics [3].  Scale up (to g/hr levels) will be shown. Accelerated reactions are also performed in a high throughput mode allowing reaction screening (analysis of 6,144 reaction mixtures per hour, 5 ng scale). This new HT system is used for small scale synthesis, simply by collecting the sprayed droplets on a 2^nd array.  Further extension of the technology is shown in its use in bioassays and as an approach to early stage drug discovery.[4,5]   

Keywords: Chemical synthesis; mass spectrometry; interfacial reactions; reactive intermediates;  

References

1. Yan, X; Bain, R.M.; Cooks, R. G. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 12960-72 
2. Qiu, L: Cooks, R. G. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022 61, e2022107
3. Ghosh, J.; Morato, N.M.; LeFever W. A.; Cooks, R. G “Accelerated and Green Synthetic Approach of N, S- and N, O Heterocyclics in Microdroplets” JACS 2026 148 2920–2929 
4. Cooks, R. G.; Feng, Y.; Huang, K.-H.; Morato, N. M.; Qiu, L.  Isr. J. Chem.2023 e202300034
5.  Huang, K.-H.; Morato, N. M.; Feng, Y.; Toney, A.; Cooks, R. G. JACS. 2024 146 33112–33120