Solid Dispensing Technologies for Microscale & Nanoscale Reaction Screening

The ability to rapidly examine diverse reaction conditions in parallel at micromole or nanomole scales without depleting precious starting materials is of critical importance to methodological development and reaction optimization. Assembling a comprehensive screening set requires the distribution of substantial number of solid reagents with diverse physical properties in small quantities. Automated sub-milligram solid dispensing has long been a challenge with no practical and reliable solutions. The lack of a general solid dispensing method for chemical reagents on micro-and nanomole scales prevents the full utilization of reaction screening technologies. This chapter aims to provide updated information on recent developments in solid handling technology and their applications in small-scale powder dispensing.