| 摘要 |
IMPROVED POLYNUCLEOTIDE SYNTHESIZER AND METHOD There is disclosed a polynucleotide synthesizer and a method of using it. The synthesizer comprises supply means for supplying a) liquid reactants for synthesizing peptides or polynucleotides, b) liquid reagents that assist in the synthesis, and c) a wash liquid; a reactor column; connecting means for fluidly connecting the supply means with the column; means for positively displacing with gas pressure, liquid reactants and reagents, and wash liquid from the supply means into the connecting means; and controlling means connected to the column for allowing liquid to flow under the force of the gas pressure and at a controlled rate, into a temporary storage chamber and for thereafter emptying the chamber. The synthesizer is improved in one or both of the following features: In one aspect the controlling means is fluidly positioned only downstream of the reactor column, and the synthesizer further includes means preventing flow from the controlling means back to the column, whereby the column is precluded from contamination by reactants or reagents in the controlling means, and the controlling means needs no cleaning to prevent it from contaminating the column. In another aspect the synthesizer further includes a parallel manifold having i) sufficient inlet means to receive either each of the liquid reactants or each of the liquid reagents, ii) a common inlet to receive the wash liquid, and iii) an outlet connected to the connecting means to supply reactant or reagent to the column or to the controlling means, each of the inlet means including a pair of tandem two-way valves, both of the valves of the pair having a common outlet that feeds into the manifold outlet, one portion of each pair of the tandem valves being connected to the common inlet for the wash liquid and the other portion of the valves being connected to the inlet means for one of the liquid reactants or one of the liquid reagents, and means for selectively opening one of the pairs of valves at a time to a source of wash liquid, in a predetermined sequence, whereby an adequate source of wash liquid can be provided for each of the valve pairs of the parallel manifold. The method features the steps of a) drawing under the gas pressure a reactant from a source of supply first into an outlet common with all reactants, then into the column, and then into the controlling means, b) drawing under gas pressure a wash liquid through the common outlet, then into the column and then into the controlling means, c) and ejecting all liquid out of the controlling means into either a collection container or a waste disposal without passage through the column.
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