Method for Infrared Light-Induced Yield Optimization of Chemical Reactions through Vibrational Excitation

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This invention relates to a method for increasing the yield of chemical synthesis reactions by using infrared (IR) light pulses to specifically excite molecular vibrations in the reactants. Instead of relying on heating the reaction mixture, the method uses fixed-wavelength IR pulses to induce single-photon vibrational excitation, which drives the reaction more efficiently along its reaction coordinate. This results in significantly higher product yields within a given time frame for thermally driven synthesis reactions.

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• Pharmaceutical manufacturing to optimize yields in drug synthesis, including antibiotics and natural products.
• Fine chemical production, where higher selectivity and output are desirable.
• Bulk chemical synthesis to increase process efficiency and reduce waste.
• Polymerization reactions, including the production of homopolymers and copolymers, with improved microstructure control.
• Localized or spatially resolved chemical synthesis for microfabrication or microstructured polymer production.
• Research laboratories for more efficient synthesis of target molecules with minimal side-products.
• Reactions involving sensitive or unstable compounds where traditional heating is undesirable.

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• Significantly increases the yield (at least 10%, often much more) of desired products in synthesis reactions.
• Enables reaction acceleration without substantial thermal heating, preserving temperature-sensitive reactants or products.
• Reduces unwanted side reactions by selectively exciting specific molecular vibrations.
• Allows for spatially resolved (localized) yield optimization, enabling novel microfabrication techniques.
• Can be combined with various light sources, including non-coherent lamps or lasers, offering flexibility and scalability.
• Enhances efficiency of thermally driven reactions, decreasing energy consumption and waste production.
• Improves selectivity towards desired products, potentially reducing purification steps.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the infrared-light-induced yield optimization of chemical reactions. In said method, an energy input into at least one reactant, which is subjected to a chemical reaction, occurs by means of infrared light pulses that have an average wavelength in the range of 2,000 to 100,000 nm. The chemical reaction is a reaction in which a product is formed whose empirical formula does not correspond to the empirical formula of the reactant, and the yield optimization is largely not based on thermal heating of the reactant. The invention is characterized in that the infrared light pulses have a fixed wavelength and that the energy input into the reactant occurs by means of vibration excitation caused by a one-photon process.