| 摘要 |
<p>A Free-Solution Post-Capillary Reactor [100b] that provides enhanced detection sensitivity is disclosed. The present invention improves the convenience and usefulness of the mixing system described in the inventor's parent patent by eliminating the outer capillary of the coaxial reactor and its associated plumbing. The present invention comprises a separation capillary [102] that is inserted into a reactor vessel [106] filled with detection fluid [109]. The vessel [106] utilized in the preferred embodiment serves as the buffer reservoir that receives the output from the end of the separation capillary [102]. The present reactor does not rely on an electric field to assist in the mixing of separated zones with the reagent, but rather employs the diffusion of molecules in free solution to mix zones of solute [108] with reagent [110]. When an electric field is applied across electrodes [101a, 101b] at the ends of the separation capillary [102], unknown solutes [108] borne in a buffer [109] separate from one another and are conducted from the input end of the capillary to the delivery end [112] of the capillary, which is located inside the reactor vessel [106]. The distinct bands of solute [108] diffuse into the fluid [109] that occupies a detection zone [111] which is adjacent to the delivery end [112] of the capillary. Once the solutes [108] are conveyed to the detection zone [111], their identity is determined using a variety of known analytical techniques. The preferred embodiment employs a sensor [118] which includes a photomultiplier tube (PMT) [118d]. <IMAGE></p> |
