Modular cuvettes and methods for use thereof

• US 7,277,167 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Yin, Hongfeng, Schembri, Carol T., Ji, Zhenghua, McAllister, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu T.
• Application Number:
  US11/225,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20070201021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 356/246
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0382 Frustoconical, tapered cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0389 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/0303 Optical path conditioning in cuvettes, e.g. windows; adapted optical elements or systems; path modifying or adjustment G01N21/031 - G01N21/15 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/11 Filling or emptying of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for holding liquid samples.

Claims

1. An apparatus for acquisition of a liquid sample, the apparatus comprising:

a first body having openings at opposite ends of said first body;

a second body having openings at opposite ends of said second body;

a third body having openings at opposite ends of said third body;

each of said first body, second body, and third body having a respective passageway connecting the openings at opposite ends thereof;

at least a portion of a surface of said second body being at least partially transparent to predetermined electromagnetic radiation;

said first body being operatively connected to said second body and said second body being operatively connected to said third body to permit flow of a liquid through the respective passageways thereof;

at least a portion of said third body being adapted to enable acquisition of the liquid sample from a sample container;

at least one of at least a portion of said passageway of said third body and at least a portion of said passageway of said second body being dimensioned to enable holding the liquid sample after retracting the apparatus from the sample container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said passageway of said third body is dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said third body.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said passageway of said second body is dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said second body.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, at an end of said second body that is operatively connected to said third body, a dimension of a passageway of said second body is larger than a dimension, at an end of said third body that is operatively connected to said second body, of said passageway of said third body.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a dimension of a passageway of said second body, at least one end of said second body, is smaller than at a midpoint of said passageway of said second body.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an end of said first body and an opening of said first body are capable of operatively connecting to a device for aspirating fluid.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said operative connections are substantially gastight connections.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said third body is comprised of a substantially hydrophobic material.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said third body is comprised of a substantially hydrophilic material.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said passageway of said second body comprises a measurement region with a predetermined optical pathlength.

11. An apparatus for acquisition of a liquid sample, the apparatus comprising:

a first body having openings at opposite ends of said first body;

a second body having openings at opposite ends of said second body;

a third body having openings at opposite ends of said third body;

each of said first body, second body, and third body having a respective passageway connecting the openings at opposite ends thereof;

at least a portion of a surface of said second body being at least partially transparent to predetermined electromagnetic radiation;

said first body being operatively connected to said second body and said second body being operatively connected to said third body to permit flow of a liquid through the respective passageways thereof;

at least a portion of said passageway of said third body being dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said third body; and

at least a portion of said passageway of said second body being dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said second body;

a junction between an opening of said first body at an end of said first body that is operatively connected to said second body and an opening of said second body at an end of said second body that is operatively connected to said first body comprising a junction requiring an additional force besides capillary action in order to induce flow.

12. A method for providing an apparatus for holding a liquid sample, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first section of the apparatus;

comprising a material at least partially transparent to electromagnetic radiation;

providing a second section of the apparatus having at least a portion of the second section comprising a material at least partially transparent to electromagnetic radiation;

operatively connecting an end of the first section to an end of the second section in order to permit flow of the sample between the first section and the second section;

providing a third section of the apparatus;

adapting at least a portion of the third section to enable acquisition of a fluid sample from a sample supply;

selecting dimensions of at least one of at least a portion of said passageway of said third body and at least a portion of said passageway of said second body in order to enable holding the liquid sample after retracting the apparatus from the sample container;

operatively connecting another end of the second section to an end of the third section in order to permit flow between the second section and the third section.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of selecting another material of preselected hydrophobicity;

and wherein at least a portion of the third section is comprised of said another material.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of selecting yet another material;

and wherein the first section is comprised of said yet another material.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of selecting another material;

and wherein the first section is comprised of said another material.

16. A measurement system capable of measuring a liquid sample, the measurement system comprising:

a source of electromagnetic radiation;

an optical component capable of providing at least one beam of electromagnetic radiation from electromagnetic radiation originating from said source;

a component capable of holding an apparatus in a path of said at least one beam, said apparatus capable of holding a liquid sample comprising;

a first body having openings at opposite ends of said first body;

a second body having openings at opposite ends of said second body;

a third body having openings at opposite ends of said third body;

at least a portion of said third body being adapted to enable acquisition of a liquid sample from a sample container;

each of said first body, second body, and third body having a respective passageway connecting the openings at opposite ends thereof;

at least one of at least a portion of said passageway of said third body and at least a portion of said passageway of said second body being dimensioned to enable holding the liquid sample after retracting the apparatus from the sample container;

at least a portion of a surface of said second body being at least partially transparent to predetermined electromagnetic radiation;

said passageway of said second body comprising a measurement region with a predetermined optical pathlength; and

said first body being operatively connected to said second body and said second body being operatively connected to said third body to permit flow of a liquid through the respective passageways thereof; and

at least one optical delivery component, said at least one optical delivery component disposed to receive said at least one beam after propagating through said apparatus; and

a detecting component optically disposed to receive said at least one beam from at least one optical delivery component and capable of obtaining a desired measurement from said at least one beam.

17. The measurement system of claim 16 wherein at least a portion of said passageway of said third body is dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said third body.

18. The measurement system of claim 17 wherein at least a portion of said passageway of said second body is dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, the liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said second body.

19. The measurement system of claim 16 wherein, at an end of said second body that is operatively connected to said third body, a dimension of a passageway of said second body is larger than a dimension, at an end of said third body that is operatively connected to said second body, of said passageway of said third body.

20. The measurement system of claim 16 wherein a dimension of a passageway of said second body, at least one end of said second body, is smaller than at a midpoint of said passageway of said second body.

21. The measurement system of claim 16 wherein an end of said first body and an opening of said first body are capable of operatively connecting to a device for aspirating fluid.

22. A measurement system capable of measuring a liquid sample, the measurement system comprising:

a source of electromagnetic radiation;

an optical component capable of providing at least one beam of electromagnetic radiation from electromagnetic radiation originating from said source;

a component capable of holding an apparatus in a path of said at least one beam, said apparatus capable of holding a liquid sample and comprising;

a first body having openings at opposite ends of said first body;

a second body having openings at opposite ends of said second body;

a third body having openings at opposite ends of said third body;

each of said first body, second body, and third body having a respective passageway connecting the openings at opposite ends thereof;

at least a portion of a surface of said second body being at least partially transparent to predetermined electromagnetic radiation;

said passageway of said second body comprising a measurement region with a predetermined optical pathlength;

said first body being operatively connected to said second body and said second body being operatively connected to said third body to permit flow of a liquid through the respective passageways thereof;

at least one optical delivery component, said at least one optical delivery component disposed to receive said at least one beam after propagating through said apparatus; and

a detecting component optically disposed to receive said at least one beam from at least one optical delivery component and capable of obtaining a desired measurement from said at least one beam;

at least a portion of said passageway of said third body being dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, a liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said third body; and

at least a portion of said passageway of said second body being dimensioned to enable holding, by capillary action, a liquid sample within said portion of said passageway of said second body;

a junction between an opening of said first body at an end of said first body that is operatively connected to said second body and an opening of said second body at an end of said second body that is operatively connected to said first body comprising a junction requiring an additional force besides capillary action in order to induce flow.

23. A method for measuring an optical property of a liquid sample, comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus comprising;

a first body having openings at opposite ends of said first body;

a second body having openings at opposite ends of said second body;

a third body having openings at opposite ends of said third body;

each of said first body, second body, and third body having a respective passageway connecting the openings at opposite ends thereof;

at least a portion of a surface of said second body being at least partially transparent to predetermined electromagnetic radiation;

said passageway of said second body comprising a measurement region with a predetermined optical pathlength;

wherein at least a portion of said third body is adapted to enable acquisition of a liquid sample from a sample container;

at least one of at least a portion of said passageway of said third body and at least a portion of said passageway of said second body being dimensioned to enable holding the liquid sample after retracting the apparatus from the sample container; and

said first body being operatively connected to said second body and said second body being operatively connected to said third body to permit flow of a liquid through the respective passageways thereof;

placing at least a portion of the second body in a positional relationship to a light source and detector of an optical detection device such that a light path is provided from the light source through the at least a portion of the second body, to the optical detection device, wherein the at least a portion of the second body holds the liquid sample.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

interfacing the first body with a device for aspirating fluid; and

aspirating the liquid sample into the at least a portion of the second body.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the liquid sample comprises a nucleic acid.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the liquid sample comprises peptides, polypeptides, or proteins.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the optical property is correlated with a concentration of a biomolecule in the liquid sample.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the optical detection device is a spectrophotometer.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the optical property is light absorbance.