Kinetics model of piperacillin synthesis in a microreactor

Piperacillin, an important penicillin, is generally synthesized by N -acylation of ampicillin and 4-ethyl-2,3-dioxo-1-piperazinecarbonyl chloride (EDPC) at the oil–water interface. A membrane dispersion microreactor can be used to synthesize high-quality piperacillin. However, research on the kinetics model of this process is limited. In this study, a high-speed microscope camera system was used to observe the liquid–liquid micro-dispersion trends in a microreactor, and the specific interface area was calculated. Furthermore, a constant interface cell was used to determine the relationship between the specific interface area and the reaction rate constant. Based on the findings of this study, a reaction kinetics model of piperacillin synthesis in the microreactor was established, demonstrating that EDPC was consumed within 0.124 s in the microreactor and coil. Subsequently, the piperacillin solution with a higher outlet concentration entered the reactor where it was rapidly diluted and circulated back to the inlet of the microreactor.