Recent years have witnessed increased interest in systems that are capable of supporting multistep chemical processes without the need for manual handling of intermediates. These systems have been based either on collections of batch reactors1 or on flow-chemistry designs2-4, both of which require considerable engineering effort to set up and control. Here we develop an out-of-equilibrium system in which different reaction zones self-organize into a geometry that can dictate the progress of an entire process sequence. Multiple (routinely around 10, and in some cases more than 20) immiscible or pairwise-immiscible liquids of different densities are placed into a rotating container, in which they experience a centrifugal force that dominates over surface tension. As a result, the liquids organize into concentric layers, with thicknesses as low as 150 micrometres and theoretically reaching tens of micrometres. The layers are robust, yet can be internally mixed by accelerating or decelerating the rotation, and each layer can be individually addressed, enabling the addition, sampling or even withdrawal of entire layers during rotation. These features are combined in proof-of-concept experiments that demonstrate, for example, multistep syntheses of small molecules of medicinal interest, simultaneous acid-base extractions, and selective separations from complex mixtures mediated by chemical shuttles. We propose that 'wall-less' concentric liquid reactors could become a useful addition to the toolbox of process chemistry at small to medium scales and, in a broader context, illustrate the advantages of transplanting material and/or chemical systems from traditional, static settings into a rotating frame of reference.

中文翻译：

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用于化学合成和分离的同心液体反应器

近年来，人们对能够支持多步骤化学过程而无需手动处理中间体的系统越来越感兴趣。这些系统要么基于批量反应器的集合，要么基于流动化学设计 2-4，两者都需要大量的工程工作来设置和控制。在这里，我们开发了一个失衡系统，其中不同的反应区自组织成一个几何形状，可以决定整个过程序列的进展。将多种（通常约 10 种，在某些情况下超过 20 种）不同密度的不混溶或成对不混溶的液体放入旋转容器中，在其中它们会受到超过表面张力的离心力。结果，液体组织成同心层，厚度低至 150 微米，理论上可达数十微米。这些层是稳健的，但可以通过加速或减速旋转进行内部混合，并且每一层都可以单独寻址，从而在旋转过程中添加、采样甚至撤回整个层。这些特征结合在概念验证实验中，这些实验证明了，例如，具有药用价值的小分子的多步合成、同时酸碱提取以及从化学穿梭介导的复杂混合物中进行选择性分离。我们建议“无壁”同心液体反应器可以成为中小规模工艺化学工具箱的有用补充，并且在更广泛的背景下，