Patent attributes
A reactor for an in-situ production of a chemical product in high yield are presented. The reactor, which may be placed in a main solvent, includes an agglomerate of reactants and a gel-forming material. The gel-forming material forms a gelatinous structure when contacted by the main solvent (e.g., water), and allows controlled permeation of the main solvent to the reactants. The reactants dissolve in the main solvent and react to produce a target product. The target product leaves the reactor through the colloidal gel wall at a controlled rate. A high concentration of the reactant is maintained in the chamber formed by the gelatinous structure, resulting in a higher yield of the target product than if the reactants were directly added to a large body of main solvent.