| Abstract
| - An ion-pair solvent extraction was performed in a microchannel fabricated in a quartz glass chip. The aqueoussolution of Fe−bathophenanthrolinedisulfonic acid complex and the chloroform solution of tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride were introduced into the microchannel, and a parallel two-phase laminar flow was formed.The ion-pair product extracted in chloroform was monitored by the thermal lens microscope. The ion-pairproduct was gradually extracted from aqueous solutioninto chloroform when the flow was very slow or stopped,while nothing was extracted into chloroform when the flowwas fast. The time for extraction in the present 250 μmmicrochannel, 45 s, roughly coincided with the moleculardiffusion time, and the extraction time was at least 1 ordershorter compared with the ordinary extraction time usinga separatory funnel and mechanical shaking. The microspace in the microchannel was characterized by the largespecific interface area and short diffusion distance, andthese characteristics may contribute to highly efficientextraction without mechanical shaking. The success of thismolecular transport may lead to the integration of morecomplicated separation and chemical operations on amicrochip and more applications.
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