Method and apparatus for transferring and combining reagents

A method for identifying compounds, the method comprising:

• providing a multiwell plate comprising a plate body having a plurality of wells that each have a bottom end, and a capillary hole having a non-circular profile in at least some wells of said plurality, with the capillary hole extending through the plate body, and wherein the bottom end is sloped toward the hole;
• providing a bottom plate having a plurality of holding vessels;
• introducing a liquid and at least one generally spherical article into at least some of the wells, with the article having a compound included thereon, wherein the liquid is retained in said well while said liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces;
• releasing the compound from each of the articles;
• transferring at least a portion of the released compounds through the capillary holes and into at least one of the holding vessels of the bottom plate by centrifuging the plates to cause the liquid in the wells to flow around said generally spherical articles and out of said holes;
• and
• performing assays on the compounds transferred from the wells to assess activity of the compounds.