ABSTRACT
Whenever reactions are performed, material losses are obtained as a consequence of the preceding problems. Normally, these losses only account for a few percent of the total material; however, this percentage can increase dramatically as the reaction scale decreases. For example, if a moisture-sensitive reaction was carried out on a 1-mole scale, it would take 18 g of water to completely stop the reaction occurring, but if the same reaction is carried out on a 0.1-mmol scale, then only 1.8 mg of water would completely quench the reaction. A highly skilled organic chemist should be able to successfully carry out moisture-sensitive reactions on a 0.01-mmol scale.
