A Hybrid Microfluidic Device for Performing Bromine-Lithium Exchange Reaction and Separating the Resulting Organic and Aqueous Phases of the Reaction Products

Nowadays, with the development of microtechnology in chemical synthesis, the application of appropriate systems for the separation and purification of synthesized chemicals is of importance. In this study, the continuous performance of the bromine-lithium exchange reaction and the separation of the resulting organic and aqueous phases of the reaction products in a hybrid microfluidic device, fabricated by laser engraving and thermal bonding, were investigated. The microfluidic device consists of a microreactor and a microscale capillary separator, where after conducting the exchange reaction in the microreactor and injecting water in the main channel of the separator, two existing phases were separated from each other by the capillary channels embedded in the separator. The results of the reaction conductance in the continuous microsystem showed a yield of 73% and conversion of more than 90%. It was found that employing the microsystem increased the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction compared to a batch system.