Effects of piperacillin synthesis on the interfacial tensions and droplet sizes

Abstract Piperacillin is a polar organic substance, and can reduce the interfacial tension of oil and water when dissolved in water. In this study, changes in dichloromethane–water interfacial tensions and microdroplet sizes during piperacillin synthesis from an aqueous solution of ampicillin and dichloromethane solution of 4-ethyl-2,3-dioxo-1-piperazine carbonyl chloride (EDPC) were observed using a pendent drop technique and a coaxial ring tube system with embedded high-speed camera, respectively. It was found that the rapid N-acylation reaction caused the piperacillin at the interface to synthesize rapidly and diffuse out slowly, resulting in the interfacial tension decreased from 19.5 mN·m-1 to 7.2 mN·m-1 rapidly and then increased slowly as the concentrations of ampicillin and EDPC were 0.05 mol·L-1 and 0.1 mol·L-1. Meanwhile, the increase in the concentration of EDPC increased the peak concentration of piperacillin at the interface, and the addition of ethyl acetate to the ampicillin solution promoted mass transfer and reduced the aggregation of piperacillin effectively. During synthesis, the interfacial tension decreased, leading to a change in droplet sizes in the micro-reaction system. The two-phase reaction was carried out in a coaxial ring tube, with ampicillin and EDPC solutions as continuous and dispersed phases, respectively. The reaction reduced the dripping flow area, and the addition of ethyl acetate to the ampicillin solution slightly affected the division of the flow pattern. Under the same flow conditions, the droplet sizes of the reaction group were smaller than those of the no reaction group. The experimental results demonstrated that the increase of the continuous phase, decrease in the dispersed phase flow rate, or increase in EDPC concentration making droplet sizes smaller, and the addition of ethyl acetate slightly affected droplet sizes. These findings are important for the design and optimization of piperacillin synthesis reactors.