A method for preparing a nitrate ester is provided. The method includes providing a first solution including a compound (which has at least one hydroxyl group) and a carboxylic acid having 2-5 carbon atoms; providing a second solution including nitric acid, acetic anhydride, and acetic acid; and transferring the first solution and the second solution to a microreactor, obtaining a nitrate ester after a residence time. In particular, the ratio of the weight of nitric acid to the total volume of the acetic anhydride and acetic acid is 1:1 to 1:3.5. The ratio of the molar amount of nitric acid to the hydroxyl group equivalent of the compound is from 1:1 to 15:1.

A method for preparing a nitrate ester is provided. The method includes providing a first solution including a compound (which has at least one hydroxyl group) and a carboxylic acid having 2-5 carbon atoms; providing a second solution including nitric acid, acetic anhydride, and acetic acid; and transferring the first solution and the second solution to a microreactor, obtaining a nitrate ester after a residence time. In particular, the ratio of the weight of nitric acid to the total volume of the acetic anhydride and acetic acid is 1:1 to 1:3.5. The ratio of the molar amount of nitric acid to the hydroxyl group equivalent of the compound is from 1:1 to 15:1.

Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for making droplets of fluid surrounded by a liquid, using, for example, electric fields, mechanical alterations, the addition of an intervening fluid, etc. In some cases, the droplets may each have a substantially uniform number of entities therein. For example, 95% or more of the droplets may each contain the same number of entities of a particular species. In another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for dividing a fluidic droplet into two droplets, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions with an electric field. The invention also relates to systems and methods for fusing droplets according to another aspect of the invention, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions. In some cases, the fusion of the droplets may initiate or determine a reaction. In a related aspect of the invention, systems and methods for allowing fluid mixing within droplets to occur are also provided. In still another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for sorting droplets, e.g., by causing droplets to move to certain regions within a fluidic system. Examples include using electrical interactions (e.g., charges, dipoles, etc.) or mechanical systems (e.g., fluid displacement) to sort the droplets. In some cases, the fluidic droplets can be sorted at relatively high rates, e.g., at about 10 droplets per second or more. Another aspect of the invention provides the ability to determine droplets, or a component thereof, for example, using fluorescence and/or other optical techniques (e.g., microscopy), or electric sensing techniques such as dielectric sensing.

A microscale method for the characterization of one or more reaction variables that influence the formation or dissociation of an affinity complex comprising a ligand and a binder, which have mutual affinity for each other. The method is characterized in comprising the steps of: (i) providing a microfluidic device comprising a microchannel structures that are under a common flow control, each microchannel structure comprising a reaction microactivity; (ii) performing essentially in parallel an experiment in each of two or more of the plurality of microchannel structures, the experiment in these two or more microchannel structures comprising either a) formation of an immobilized form of the complex and retaining under flow conditions said form within the reaction microactivity, or b) dissociating, preferably under flow condition, an immobilized form of the complex which has been included in the microfluidic device provided in step (i), at least one reaction variable varies or is uncharacterized for said two or more microchannel structures while the remaining reaction variables are kept essentially constant; (iii) measuring the presentation of the complex in said reaction microactivity in said two or more microchannel structures; and (iv) characterizing said one or more reaction variables based on the values for presentation obtained in step (iii).

The present invention provides control methods, control systems, and control software for microfluidic devices that operate by moving discrete micro-droplets through a sequence of determined configurations. Such microfluidic devices are preferably constructed in a hierarchical and modular fashion which is reflected in the preferred structure of the provided methods and systems. In particular, the methods are structured into low-level device component control functions, middle-level actuator control functions, and high-level micro-droplet control functions. Advantageously, a microfluidic device may thereby be instructed to perform an intended reaction or analysis by invoking micro-droplet control function that perform intuitive tasks like measuring, mixing, heating, and so forth. The systems are preferably programmable and capable of accommodating microfluidic devices controlled by low voltages and constructed in standardized configurations. Advantageously, a single control system can thereby control numerous different reactions in numerous different microfluidic devices simply by loading different easily understood micro-droplet programs.

Methods of producing glycidyl nitrate. The method comprises reacting glycerol and nitric acid in a microfluidic reactor to form a nitrated glycerol compound. The microfluidic reactor comprises a reaction volume of the microfluidic reactor of less than about 20 ml and an inner diameter of a reaction channel of the microfluidic reactor of less than or equal to about 1000 m. The nitrated glycerol compound is reacted with a base in the microfluidic reactor to form glycidyl nitrate. Additional methods of producing glycidyl nitrate are also disclosed.

The present invention provides a system for the production of a radiopharmaceutical including a radiosynthesis apparatus and a disposable cassette. The system of the invention includes a device that enables a position on the cassette to be freed for inclusion of an additional reagent vial. With the system of the invention a broader range of radiochemical syntheses can be envisaged using the cassette.

Different AuPd nanoparticles, ranging from sharp-branched octopods to core@shell octahedra, can be achieved by inline manipulation of reagent flowrates in a microreactor for seeded growth. Significantly, these structures represent different kinetic products, demonstrating an inline control strategy toward kinetic nanoparticle products that should be generally applicable.

A process for the deposition of a catalyst in an exchanger-reactor including an inlet, an outlet, and microchannels, the microchannels including an internal surface, the process including positioning the exchanger-reactor in a vertical position, wherein the inlet and the outlet are in a plane perpendicular to a horizontal plane and, wherein the inlet and outlet are below the microchannels, introducing a catalyst in suspension into the exchanger-reactor via the inlet by means of a pump, filling the exchanger-reactor with the catalyst in suspension at a rate of between 5 and 20 ml/min, and emptying the exchanger-reactor, thereby depositing at least a portion of the catalyst on the internal surface.

A process for continuous preparation of halogenated alkoxyethane of general formula XClHCCF.sub.2OR, where X is Cl or F and OR is C.sub.1-4 alkoxy, the process comprising a step of introducing in a plate reactor reaction components comprising (i) a compound of general formula XClC?CF.sub.2, (ii) a base, and (iii) a C.sub.1-4 alkanol, wherein a) the plate reactor comprises a fluidic module defining one or more fluidic path(s) through which the reaction components flow as a reaction mixture, and b) the halogenated alkoxyethane is formed at least upon the reaction components mixing, with the so formed halogenated alkoxyethane flowing out of the plate reactor in a reactor effluent.