Parallel stirring apparatus

An apparatus for stirring comprising:

• a) a gear having a hub and multiple teeth with material removed from the hub to form a passage through the gear;
• b) a motor drivably associated with the gear;
• c) a vessel associated with the gear;
• and
• d) a stirrer rotateably driven by the gear and extending into the vessel wherein the stirrer has four vanes and two intersecting crossbars.

A method of adding reagents to a plurality of N reaction vessels each containing a reaction mixture comprising:

• a) providing:
• i) N vessels where N is at least 2;
• ii) N rotary drive members associated with the N vessels, each rotary drive member having a hub with material removed from the hub to form a passage through the rotary drive member;
• iii) N fluid delivery conduits, each in fluid communication with a respective passage through a rotary drive member;
• iv) a motor drivably associated with at least one rotary drive member;
• v) N stirrers, each stirrer rotateably driven by one of said rotary drive members, said N stirrers extending into the vessels;
• and
• vi) a movable framework supporting the N rotary drive members forming a single unit that may simultaneously engage the N stirrers driven by the rotary drive members with the N vessels;
• b) engaging the movable framework with the N vessels;
• c) adding reagent to the N reaction vessels via the N conduits;
• and
• d) stirring, simultaneously the N reaction mixtures during the addition of reagent by activating the motor and driving the gears.