Liquid purification or separation – With means to add treating material – Chromatography
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-12
2001-09-25
Therkorn, Ernest G. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
With means to add treating material
Chromatography
C210S656000, C096S101000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294087
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to introducing a sample into a chromatography column.
Liquid chromatography is a technique for separating the individual compounds that exist in a subject sample. In employing the technique, the subject sample is carried in a liquid, called a mobile phase. The mobile phase carrying the subject sample is caused to migrate through a media, called a stationary phase. Different compounds will have differing rates of migration through the media, which effects the separation of the components in the subject sample. Liquid chromatography is commonly performed with reusable columns or with disposable cartridges, both of which are usually cylindrical, in which the media bed is bounded axially by porous plates, or plates containing defined flow paths, through which the mobile phase will flow. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,035 to McDonald et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,708 to Leavesley)
When chemists optimize liquid chromatographic separations conditions, they may need to dissolve the sample mixture in a dissolution solvent which may be nonideal for elution. This can result in poor separation and poor recovery of desired components.
One solution to this problem is to pre-absorb the sample onto a media prior to chromatography. This involves dissolving the sample mixture in a suitable solvent and adding an amount of a dry media (usually similar to the media being used for the separation) to this solution. The dissolution solvent is then evaporated off, usually using a rotary evaporator, leaving the sample mixture dry, and absorbed to the media. The pre-absorbed media is then placed at the head of a pre-packed glass, metal or plastic chromatography column, and the optimized chromatographic solvent would flow through the pre-absorbed media and then through the column of separation media. This method has the potential hazard of the operator coming into contact with the dry powdery media both before and after the addition of the sample. This method also can lead to poor separations and recovery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention features, in general, a chromatography sample module including a flow-through member having an inlet and an outlet and chromatography media within the flow-through member. A sample is added to the media, and the module, with the sample carried therein, can then be connected to a separation column.
Preferably the chromatography sample module is a tubular member that is sized to fit within the end of a chromatography column that is used for separation of the sample contained on the media in the module. Alternatively, the module can be connected to the chromatography separation column by a flow line. The sample in the dissolution solvent can be added to the sample module, and then the dissolution solvent can be evaporated. Alternatively, the sample in the dissolution solvent can be added to the sample module as a liquid without evaporation.
In another aspect the invention features a rack of sample modules arranged in an array.
Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following advantages. The samples can be easily introduced into separation columns. Various solvents can be used for separation and dissolution of the sample, permitting optimization of the separation procedure. Samples are easily preprocessed, and the operator is not exposed to the media before or after adding the sample. A large number of samples can be prepared for processing at one time, facilitating the carrying out of multiple separations at one time.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof and from the claims.
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Larry Miller, et al., “Solid injection, a new technique for application of insoluble samples in preparative liquid chromatography,” Journal of Chromatography, vol. 484 (1989), pp. 259-265.
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Hargro Ivan
Horsman Jeffrey A.
Rahn Peter C.
Van Davelaar Peter C.
Dyax Corporation
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Therkorn Ernest G.
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