Device for diluting and mixing liquids and applications for kinetic analysis

• US 4,908,187 A
• Filed: 08/04/1988
• Issued: 03/13/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Endowment For Research In Human Biology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Endowment For Research In Human Biology, Inc.
• Inventors: Holmquist, Barton, Scopes, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/228,786
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 73/864.12, 422/63-67, 422/68, 422/100, 422/80, 422/81, 422/102, 422/116, 422/133, 422/224, 436/179, 436/52
• US Class Current: 422/81
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/40 Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/50 Movable or transportable mixing devices or plants
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/38 Diluting, dispersing or mixing samples

Abstract

This invention relates to a diluting and mixing device which is capable of diluting a first solution to produce a second solution which is mixed with an undiluted third solution, to reproducibly produce a unique series of combined solutions. Each solution in said series of combined solutions may vary only in the concentration of a single (selected) reactant, and typically, each successive solution becomes increasingly more concentrated in the selected reactant. By employing a modification in procedure, each successive solution in said series may become decreasingly less concentrated in the selected reactant.

This invention further relates to an automated system comprising the device connected to a stepping motor so as to rapidly and reproducibly produce said series of solutions, said device being further connected to an analyzer means for obtaining chemical, biochemical, or physical chemical data on said series of solutions. This invention especially relates to an embodiment of the device for obtaining kinetic data on enzyme reactions in solutions.

The device is useful because it provides a means for rapidly obtaining chemical, biochemical, or physical chemical data on reactions in solution.

Claims

1. A device suitable for use in obtaining chemical, biochemical, or physical chemical data on reactions in solution comprising a first and second pulse driven fluid drive means, a fluid dilution member, a fluid mixing member, a control system, and first, second, third, and fourth fluid passageways;

wherein all said fluid passageways are substantially linear, each said passageway having a single proximal end through which a liquid enters and a single distal end through which a liquid exits;

said first pulse driven fluid drive means being functionally affixed to the proximal end of said first fluid passageway;

said fluid dilution member comprising 1 dilution chamber or 2 interconnected dilution chambers, said fluid dilution member having an incipient end and an excipient end, wherein said incipient end of said dilution member is functionally affixed to the distal end of the first fluid passageway and wherein said excipient end of said dilution member is functionally affixed to said proximal end of said second fluid passageway;

said second pulse driven fluid driven means being functionally affixed to said proximal end of said third fluid passageway;

said fluid mixing member having an incipient end and an excipient end, said fluid mixing member comprising a fluid passageway diverging and reconverging 1-6 times, said incipient end of said fluid mixing member being functionally affixed to both said distal ends of said second and third fluid passageways respectively, and said excipient end of said fluid mixing member being functionally affixed to said proximal end of said fourth fluid passageway;

wherein said first and second pulse driven fluid drive means, said first, second, third and fourth fluid passageways, said fluid dilution member and said mixing member form a liquid filled closed system such that displacement of a volume of liquid at one end of the system forces the displacement of a substantially equal volume of liquid at the other end of the system;

said control system operatively associated with both said first pulse driven fluid drive means and said second pulse driven fluid drive means;

whereby when said control system associates with both said first pulse driven fluid drive means and said second pulse driven fluid drive means, it causes the displacement (pumping) of a volume of liquid from said first pulse driven fluid drive thereby pumping a volume of a first solution into a substantially larger volume of a transforming solution contained within said fluid diluting member via said first fluid passageway, and causing displacement of an equal volume of said transformed solution from said dilution member to said fluid mixing member, and said second pulse driven fluid drive thereby pumping a volume of a third solution into and through said fluid mixing member via said third fluid passageway, such that both said third solution and said transformed solution converge at or near the incipient end of said mixing member and are mixed during displacement through said mixing member thereby forming a combined homogeneous solution being further displaced by said combined pulses into and out of the distal end of said fourth fluid passageway, said combined homogeneous solution becoming variably less dilute in the components of said first solution with each successive pulse.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said mixing member comprises a transparent non-reactant mixing block in which at least one verticle surface is substantially flat, said substantially flat surface having said diverging and reconverging fluid passageway cut into its face;

said fluid passageway initiating at a selected point on said flat surface which is not at an edge, a length of the distal end of said fluid passageway being sufficiently wider than the preceding channel to accommodate affixation of an exit tube in line with said distal end; and

wherein said mixing block is affixed in an essentially leakproof manner to a substantially flat verticle surface of said dilution member such that said convergence point of said dilution member and said selected point of said mixing block are superimposed upon one another, whereby said affixation converts said open faced diverging and reconverging fluid passageway into a sealed diverging and reconverging fluid passageway in which solutions can be mixed by diverging and reconverging while flowing therethrough.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein both first pulse driven fluid drive means and said second pulse driven fluid drive means are a positive displacement device driven by a stepping motor.

4. The device according to claim 3 wherein both said positive displacement devices are syringes.

5. The device according to claim 4 wherein both said syringes are driven by a single stepping motor.

6. The device according to claim 2 wherein said substantially flat surface of said mixing block is machined.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the excipient end of said mixing member is functionally connected to a flow cell in a spectrophotometer.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the spectrophotometer is of the diode array type.

9. The device of claim 7 further interfaced to a computer.