Dual purpose detector for a liquid chromatograph

• US 3,920,334 A
• Filed: 11/13/1973
• Issued: 11/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John Carl Steichen, Sydnor H. Bryne Jr
• Original Assignee: John Carl Steichen, Sydnor H. Bryne Jr
• Inventors: Steichen, John Carl, Bryne, Sydnor H. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chatmon, Jr., Saxfield
• Application Number:
  US05/415,440
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 356/72,73,74,106,205,103,104 250/343,344,345,373 73/61.1C
• US Class Current: 356/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1734 Sequential different kinds of measurements; Combining two or more methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1751 Constructive features therefore, e.g. using two measurement cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6491 Measuring fluorescence and transmission; Correcting inner filter effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/645 Specially adapted constructive features of fluorimeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/85 Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/74 Optical detectors measurement of intensity, velocity, spectral content, polarisation, or phase of infrared, visible or ultraviolet light G01J

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a detector, for use in a liquid chromatographic system, which permits the simultaneous measurement of the optical absorbance and fluorescence of the effluent from a liquid chromatographic column.

Claims

1. A detector to monitor the constituents of the effluent emerging from a liquid chromatographic column, comprising a. a longitudinal flow cell for the liquid emerging from the column, said flow cell having a longitudinal axis parallel to the path of liquid flow through the flow cell, at least one side wall with a portion transparent to fluorescent radiation, and end walls, each of which comprises a window;

b. illuminating means disposed adjacent to a window at one end of said flow cell for passing a beam of radiation through said flow cell, said windows being transparent to the radiation emanating from said illuminating means;

c. monitoring means disposed adjacent to the window at the other end of said flow cell for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation emerging from said flow cell, said illuminating means and said monitoring means being located on the longitudinal axis of said flow cell; and

d. fluorescence detector means, disposed relative to the transparent portion of the side wall of said flow cell for detecting fluorescent radiation emanating from within said flow cell.

2. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 1 wherein said fluorescence detector means is a photomultiplier.

3. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 1 further comprising a reflective housing means to reflect light emanating from within said flow cell to said fluorescence detector means, said housing means being disposed relative to the transparent portions of the side wall of said flow cell to define in conjunction therewith a fluorescence chamber in said flow cell.

4. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 3 further comprising an emission filter located between said fluorescence detector means and said reflective housing means to prevent radiation emanating from said illuminating means from reaching said fluorescence detector means.

5. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 1 wherein said flow cell comprises a quartz tube and said windows are quartz windows.

6. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 5 further comprising flow rings disposed between said quartz tube and said quartz windows, each flow ring having a narrow orifice through which liquid is supplied to the flow cell and removed from the flow cell.

7. The liquid chromatographic system of claim 6 further comprising scatter-baffle means, disposed outside of and adjacent to the ends of said flow cell, to prevent any radiation scattered at the ends of said flow cell from entering the fluorescence chamber and producing a high fluorescence background signal.