Spatially Resolved Single Bead Analysis: Homogeneity, Diffusion, and Adsorption in Cross‐Linked Polystyrene

Spatially resolved single bead analysis in the micrometer range was employed as a tool for evaluating homogeneity, diffusion, and adsorption in solid‐phase supported reactions. Fluorescence microscopy (confocal and non‐confocal) as well as IR microscopy were used to detect both the distribution of products and the formation of product gradients in representative reactions. For the first time, the optical slices of whole beads obtained by confocal fluorescence microscopy were compared with the fluorescence images of microtome‐sliced beads. The experiments revealed that only physical slices of polystyrene beads deliver realistic representations of the distribution of fluorophores, and confirmed—in contrast to a recent report—the homogeneity of functional site distribution in polystyrene beads. Moreover, the pattern of product formation obtained from an acylation reaction as well as from an alkylation reaction were employed as probes to study the impact of bead size, diffusion, and adsorption on the reaction progress. A simulation of the diffusion process was conducted and compared with the experimental results. Diffusional control was found neither in the case of the alkylation nor in the case of the acylation reaction under investigation. As a consequence, the reaction progress was not a function of the bead sizes as proposed in the literature. Interestingly, in the case of rhodamine acylation with substoichiometric amounts an adsorption‐controlled reaction was found. This result highlights the significance of adsorptive effects in solid‐phase supported chemistry.