Chemical Kinetics in Microdroplets

Micron-sized compartments play significant roles in driving heterogeneous transformations within atmospheric and biochemical systems as well as providing vehicles for drug delivery and novel reaction environments for the synthesis of industrial chemicals. Many reports now indicate that reaction kinetics are accelerated under micro-confinement; for example in sprays, thin films, droplets, aerosols, and emulsions. These observations are dramatic, posing a challenge to our understanding of chemical reaction mechanisms with potentially significant practical consequences for predicting the complex chemistry in natural systems. Here we introduce the idea of “kinetic confinement,” which is intended to provide a conceptual backdrop for understanding when and why microdroplet reaction kinetics differ from their macroscale analogs.