Vortex stabilized electrophoretic separation apparatus
AssigneePurdue Research Foundation
InventorsJohn B. Grutzner, Perry J. Pellechia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for the performance of efficient, large scale separations, particularly electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing, in free solution is described. Inner and outer cylinders define an annular separation chamber for solutions stabilized against convective flow by Taylor vortices generated during rotation of inner cylinder above threshold frequencies. Separation substrates in solution migrate independently in a potential field established between axially distal anodic and cathodic regions of the annular chamber. Axially defined portions of fluid in the chamber identified to contain concentrations of selected substrates are readily separated from other portions of fluid in the chamber.
Claims21
A separation apparatus comprising
- a substantially uninterrupted annular chamber defined by walls of an outer cylinder and a substantially coaxial rotatably mounted inner cylinder, said annular chamber adapted to contain a support fluid and separation substrates capable of migrating relative to said fluid under the influence of an electrical field,
- means for applying an electrical field to said chamber to generate an anodic region and an axially remote cathodic region in the annular chamber,
- means for rotating the inner cylinder relative to the outer cylinder at a rotational frequency (F) where F is at least as high the critical frequency (F.sub.c) for onset of Taylor vortex flow in the annular chamber, and
- means for separating fluid in axially discrete portions of the annular chamber from fluid in other axially discrete portions of the annular chamber.
A separation apparatus comprising
- a substantially uninterrupted annular chamber defined by walls of an outer cylinder and a substantially coaxial rotatably mounted inner cylinder, said annular chamber adapted to contain a support fluid and separation substrates capable of migrating relative to said fluid under the influence of a force field,
- means for applying a force field to said chamber to generate in said chamber a region of first potential and an axially remote region of second potential,
- means for rotating the inner cylinder relative to the outer cylinder at a rotational frequency (F) where F is at least as high as the critical frequency (F.sub.c) for onset of Taylor vortex flow in the annular chamber, and
- means for separating fluid in axially discrete portions of the annular chamber from fluid in other axially defined portions of the annular chamber.
A method for separating substrates which migrate with respect to a support fluid under the influence of a potential field said method comprising the steps of
- transferring said substrates in a support fluid to an annular chamber defined essentially by walls of an outer cylinder and a substantially coaxial rotatably mounted inner cylinder,
- rotating the inner cylinder relative to the outer cylinder at a rotational frequency (F) where F is at least as high as the critical frequency (F.sub.c) for onset of Taylor vortex flow in the fluid in the annular chamber, and during said rotation
- applying a potential field axially to said chamber to generate in said chamber a region of first potential and an axially remote region of second potential, said potential field being applied until at least one axially discrete portion of support fluid in the chamber is detected to contain a concentration of a substrate, and
- separating said axially discrete portion of substrate containing-support fluid in the annular chamber from other portions of fluid on the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.