Teflon microreactors for organic syntheses

Abstract Conducting organic syntheses in microreactors provides for better selectivity and yield via increased control of reaction conditions. Execution of organic syntheses in microfluidic systems sets stringent requirements on the fluidic systems – a factor that elevates the complexity and cost of fabrication. Here we report design, fabrication and tests of whole-Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene – PTFE) microreactor that is easy to fabricate and to assemble and that offers the possibility to open it for cleaning and for subsequent reuse. We propose a ‘click’ system for tight bonding of two plates of inexpensive, commercial grade PFTE. The method relies solely on mechanical properties of the material and does not use any solvent or thermal treatment that could impact the surface properties of the microchannels. ‘Click’ system serves also the function of registering the two parts of the reactor with respect to each other. This assures tight positional tolerance after each subsequent re-assembly of the two parts of the microreactor. The microreactors are hermetic and can be used for a wide range of organic syntheses without a Schlenk line or a fume hood. We provide a proof-of-concept verification of the use of the microreactor in several organic and metalo-organic syntheses. The reactor can readily be used in chemical laboratories interested in executing the organic and metalo-organic syntheses in the micro-scale format.