Conducting reactions in Leidenfrost-levitated droplets

1. A method for forming a reaction product, the method comprising conducting multiple reactions in multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets while maintaining a substantially constant volume of each of the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets; and

merging the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets into a single common Leidenfrost-levitated droplet, thereby forming a reaction product within the single common Leidenfrost-levitated droplet.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the reaction product in the single common Leidenfrost-levitated droplet without evaporating the single common Leidenfrost-levitated droplet.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising analyzing the reaction product.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein analyzing is by a mass spectrometry technique.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein maintaining the substantially constant volume comprises introducing droplets of a pure solvent or a respective reaction mixture to each of the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein a rate at which the droplets of the pure solvent or the respective reaction mixture are introduced to each of the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets is dependent on an evaporation rate of each of the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple reactions are the same.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple reactions are different.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is conducted without the use of surfactants.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets are maintained separately by physical barriers between the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets are merged by removing the physical barriers between the multiple separate Leidenfrost-levitated droplets.