Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026

04:56
Real-Time Force Measurement Between Emulsion Droplets During Enzymatic Breakdown
Published on: June 27, 2025
Applications of the optical trapping technique to analyze chemical reactions in single emulsion particles
E Urlaub1, M Lankers, I Hartmann
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, D-97070, Würzburg, Germany.
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
|June 1, 1996
Abstract:
The applicability of the single beam gradient force optical trap and the optical levitation technique to investigate dynamic processes in microparticles is examined. The device allows to follow chemical reactions, like the emulsion polymerization and the ester hydrolysis reaction, in single emulsion droplets. Furthermore the usability of optical traps to investigate living cells is demonstrated.
Related Concept Videos
Measuring Reaction Rates
Polarimetry finds application in chemical kinetics to measure the concentration and reaction kinetics of optically active substances during a chemical reaction. Optically active substances have the capability of rotating the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light passing through them—a feature called optical rotation. Optical activity is attributed to the molecular structure of substances. Normal monochromatic light is unpolarized and possesses oscillations of the electrical field in...
Fast Reactions
Fast reactions occurring in times shorter than the time needed to mix reactants pose a unique challenge for investigation. In a liquid-phase continuous-flow system, reactants A and B are swiftly pushed into the mixing chamber, where mixing occurs within 1 ms. The reaction mixture then flows through an observation tube, and one measures light absorption to determine species concentrations at various points of the tube. This method is most appropriate when relatively large volumes of reactants...

