ES378828A1 - PHOTOMETRIC SOLUTIONS ANALYZER AND METHOD. - Google Patents

Abstract

In a rotary cuvette photometric analyser, a rotary disc 11 has a multiplicity of first chambers 12 connecting with radially outwardly disposed second chambers 14 connecting in turn withlower third chambers 16, for providing soild free samples to surrounding cuvettes 9. The first chambers are adapted to receive liquid samples and reagent. On slow spinning of the disc, both liquids are transferred by centrifugal force to second chambers 14, where they are centrifuged to yield a precipitate. A transparent cover 18 prevents leakage of liquid from the chambers 12, 14. The supernatent liquid flows down bores 15 into third chamber 16 when the disc stops rotating. The supernatent is then transferred into cuvettes through bores 17 by further rotation of the disc. The supernatent is then diluted in the cuvettes, and its transmittance measured by light passing through two transparent rings 4, 6 and bores in keeper plates 2, 8, whose intensity is measured by a detector 22 incorporating a photomultiplyer. Current from a tachometer 23 and revolution detector 26 is fed to a signal generator 24, so that pulses of light from each cuvette can be distinguished by a pulse scanner 25 during each revolution, and then fed to a pulse peak readout 27. The analyser may be used with two liquids which do not form a precipitate when mixed in the second chambers 14, but react slowly and require prolonged incubation. In this case, the disc is kept rotating slowly until the reaction is complete.