Directed microwave chemistry

• US 20030082633A1
• Filed: 09/05/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mirari Biosciences, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mirari Biosciences, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Mark T., Saul, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,348,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/126 Microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0871 Heating or cooling of the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/00 Carrier-bound or immobilised enzymes; Carrier-bound or immobilised microbial cells; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 13/00 Treatment of microorganisms or enzymes with electrical or wave energy, e.g. magnetism, sonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/44 Sample treatment involving radiation, e.g. heat
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5436 with ligand physically entrapped within the solid phase liposomes G01N33/5432; immunological test elements G01N33/54386
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54393 Improving reaction conditions or stability, e.g. by coating or irradiation of surface, by reduction of non-specific binding, by promotion of specific binding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/806 Electrical property or magnetic property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/115831 Condition or time responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/116664 with automated titrator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/24 Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance or other spin effects or mass spectrometry

Abstract

The present invention concerns a novel means by which chemical preparations can be made. Reactions can be accelerated on special chips using microwave energy. The chips contain materials that efficiently absorb microwave energy causing chemical reaction rate increases. The invention is important in many small scale chemical transformations including those used in protein chemistry and in combinatorial chemistry.

Claims

1. A method for accelerating a chemical reaction involving a reactant, said method comprising;

(a) contacting a composite with said reactant, said composite comprising a solid material susceptible to dielectric heating,

(b) applying an electromagnetic field to said composite, said electromagnetic field being sufficient to result in dielectric heating of said solid material, and

(c) allowing said composite being heating to react with said reactant,

whereby the resultant product is contained in the said composite, thereby accelerating said chemical reaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of measuring the extent or rate of said chemical reaction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of;

(d) contacting said composite with one or more additional reactant(s),

(e) allowing said additional reactant(s) to react in one or more biospecific interactions, and

(f) measuring the extent or rate of one or more of said biospecific interactions.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of;

(d) contacting said composite with one or more additional reactant(s) for one or more further reactions,

(e) applying an electromagnetic field to said composite, said electromagnetic field being sufficient to result in dielectric heating of said solid material, said additional reactant(s) being heated by heat transfer from said heated solid material,

(f) allowing said heated additional reactant(s) to react, thereby accelerating one or more of said further reactions, and

(g) measuring the extent or rate of one or more of said further reactions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of;

(d) measuring the extent or rate of the reaction,

(e) contacting said composite with one or more additional reactant(s),

(f) applying an electromagnetic field to said composite, said electromagnetic field being sufficient to result in dielectric heating of said solid material, said additional reactant(s) being heated by heat transfer from said heated solid material,

(g) allowing one or more of said heated second reactant(s) to react, thereby accelerating one or more of said further reactions, and

(h) measuring the extent or rate of one or more of said further reactions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said reactant is selected from the group consisting of an amino acid, a protein, a peptide, an oligonucleotide, and a polynucleotide.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said reaction is a noncovalent adsorption reaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said reactant is an amino acid.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said reaction is a covalent conjugation reaction.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the applied field is between 1 cm and 100 m.

11. The method of any one of claims 1, 3, 4 or 5 wherein one or more of said chemical reactions is selected from the group consisting of:

a chemiluminescent reaction, a reaction resulting in a change in visible or ultraviolet color, and a reaction involving a change in fluorescent properties.

12. The method of any one of claims 1, 3, 4 or 5, wherein one or more of said reactant(s) is a product of an enzymatic reaction.

13. The method of any one of claims 1, 4, or 5, wherein the wavelength of the applied field is between 1 cm and 100 m.

14. A composite comprising the composite obtained by the method of claim 1.

16. The composite of claim 14 or 15, wherein said surface molecule is bound or immobilized to said surface via a noncovalent adsorption reaction.

17. The composite of claim 14 or 15, wherein said surface is capable of a covalent conjugation reaction with said reactant molecule.

18. The composite of claim 14 or 15, wherein said surface is selected from the group consisting of a microarray chip, a macroarray chip, a test tube, a Petri dish, and a microtiter plate.

19. The composite of claim 14 or 15, wherein said solid material has piezoelectric properties.

15. A composite comprising a solid material responsive to dielectric heating bearing a surface molecule capable of biospecific interaction with a reactant molecule.

20. A method for accelerating a chemical reaction of a reactant, said method comprising;

(a) contacting a composite with one or more reactants, said composite comprising a solid material susceptible to piezoelectric sonication and dielectric heating,

(b) applying an electric current to said composite, said electric current being sufficient to result in piezoelectric vibration of said solid material, and

(c) allowing said reactant to react with said composite, thereby accelerating said chemical reaction.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of;

(d) contacting said composite with one or more additional reactant(s),

(e) applying an electromagnetic field to said composite, said electromagnetic field being sufficient to result in dielectric heating of said solid material, said additional reactant(s) being heated by heat transfer from said heated solid material,

(f) allowing said heated second reactant to react, thereby accelerating the second reaction, and

(g) measuring the extent of the second reaction.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said composite contains a ceramic material.