Looking closer into the liquid membrane

In electromembrane extraction, we transfer ionized drug molecules form a blood sample, across a liquid membrane (oil membrane) and into pure water under the influence of an electrical field. The liquid membrane is a few microliters of organic solvent. Over the years, we have learned that the chemical properties of the solvent are very important; they control the type of substances that are extracted (selectivity), and the extraction speed (kinetics). Recently, we summarized the accumulated information we have from 15 years with experiments, and discussed this in the context of molecular interactions; how molecules “talk to each other” during their travel across the liquid membrane. The fundamental understanding of this is crucial for development of new applications…