Enhanced reactivity at the oil-water interface accelerates the synthesis of zymonic acid in microemulsions.

ABSTRACT: Chemical reactions in microscale compartments, such as aerosols and emulsions, can exhibit significantly faster reaction rates relative to macroscale containers. This enhancement in chemistry is often due to the elevated importance of surfaces as reaction vessels are reduced to picoliter volumes. While most studies have focused on the air-water interface of droplets, there are comparably fewer studies of reactions in micron-scale aqueous solutions encapsulated by oil. Here we investigate the condensation reaction of pyruvic acid (PA) to form zymonic acid (ZA) and water. Using microfluidics and optical trapping, chemical kinetics are measured in monodisperse micron-sized emulsion droplets in situ via Raman spectroscopy. Relative to a macroscopic bulk solution, which exhibits little t

SUBMITTER: Wallace BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12284721 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature