Device for diluting and mixing liquids and applications for kinetic analysis

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.