Abstract: A process for the chemical manipulation of liquid and gel microdroplets is disclosed. The process involves providing first microdroplets having aqueous interiors, such that the first microdroplets are surrounded by a non-aqueous fluid. The aqueous interior chemical composition of the first microdroplets is then manipulated by exposure to compounds soluble in both the non-aqueous and aqueous phases, or by exposure to emulsions or suspensions of second microdroplets such that contact between the first and second microdroplets is made. This allows chemical manipulation to be accomplished without removing the first microdroplets from a non-aqueous fluid environment.

Abstract: A process for rapidly enumerating viable biological entities is disclosed, wherein viability is determined by the critierion of growth of biological entities contained in microdroplets. Alternatively, in some cases, viability is determined by use of vital staining of biological entities contained in microdroplets. The process involves formation of microdroplets, which are very small volume liquid or gel particles, such that some of the microdroplets contain biololgical entities, followed by measurements of biological entities and of microdroplet volumes, such that use of statistical analysis can be used self-consistently to determine the number of viable entities per volume of a sample.