Microwave irradiation is commonly used to boost the speed and yield of chemical reactions, but how it works has been unclear. Debate centres on whether it is due to the heat supplied or to some effect of microwaves' electromagnetic field on the reaction components.
Oliver Kappe and his colleagues at Karl Franzens University in Graz, Austria, have separated the two effects using silicon carbide vials, which transmit the heat but block out their electromagnetic field.
When they measured reaction time and product yield in 18 microwave-enhanced reactions, the researchers obtained almost identical results with silicon carbide vials as with Pyrex containers. This suggests that in most cases heat is responsible for the benefits of microwave chemistry.
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Chemistry: Microwave magic. Nature 461, 701 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/461701c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/461701c
