Diazomethane microfluidics

C) and the highly explosive, toxic, and carcinogenic properties are major drawbacks and make the handling of diazomethane rather difhcult on laboratory and production scales. The major advantages of the processing in microfluidics are the suppression of hot spots, low holdup, isothermal conditions, and intensive mixing, which lead to a short reaction time. 

Ferstl et al. were the first who reported on the continuous point-of-use synthesis of diazomethane in microfluidic devices [15]. The microfluidic setup used is shown in Figure 6.15 and allowed for the fast systematic parameter screening for reaction optimization with regard to temperature, residence time, and stoichiometry (Lobbecke, S., 2012, personal communication). 

Figure6.15 (a) Microfluidic setup for the synthesis and point-of-use conversion of diazomethane (28). (b) General reaction scheme and obtained results. (Courtesy of S. Lobbecke.)...

The given examples represent nicely that synthesis and processing of the highly hazardous diazomethane is feasible on continuous microfluidic as well as on minifluidic scale. Due to the small inner dimensions, only little amounts of diazomethane are present in microstructured reactors. However, safety issues such as leakages still remain challenging for large-scale production in industry and academia. 

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