Simple 3D printed stainless steel microreactors for online mass spectrometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Real-time reaction monitoring is crucial for optimizing chemical processes.
• Flow chemistry offers advantages in control and safety over batch processing.
• Mass spectrometry provides sensitive and specific detection of chemical species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel flow chemistry microreactor integrated with an electrospray ionization (ESI) tip for in-situ reaction monitoring.
• To fabricate the microreactor using laser-based additive manufacturing from stainless steel 316L.
• To evaluate the microreactor's performance using a model reaction and identify areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microreactor using laser-based additive manufacturing with stainless steel 316L.
• Integration of an electrospray ionization (ESI) tip for direct mass spectrometric analysis.
• Testing the microreactor's functionality with an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder and subsequent retro Diels-Alder reaction.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of a stainless steel microreactor with an integrated ESI tip.
• Demonstration of real-time mass spectrometric monitoring of a Diels-Alder reaction.
• Identification of challenges including reagent adsorption on channel walls and limitations due to short channel length.

Conclusions:

• The developed flow chemistry microreactor is a potentially useful disposable device for real-time reaction monitoring.
• Addressing challenges such as surface roughness and channel dimensions can further enhance device performance.
• This approach offers a promising platform for in-situ analysis in chemical synthesis.