American Chemical Society, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 3(48), p. 1428-1434, 2008
DOI: 10.1021/ie801232d
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The throughput of a single-channel microreactor used for a fast gas−liquid reaction was increased by up to one order of magnitude relative to previously published results by simultaneously increasing the superficial gas and liquid velocities. Superficial gas and liquid velocities varied between 2.9−14.6 m/s and 0.012–0.061 m/s, respectively. The direct fluorination of toluene in acetonitrile, selected as a model reaction, was performed at room temperature in microchannels formed in a silicon substrate, coated with thermally grown silicon oxide and evaporated nickel, and capped by Pyrex. With faster velocities the toluene conversion increased from 63% to 76%, while the combined selectivity of ortho-, meta-, and para-fluorotoluene isomers remained constant at 26%. Operating at faster gas and liquid velocities appeared to enhance the contacting between the two phases, thus outweighing the reduced liquid residence time.