Abstract: An apparatus for handling liquid vials in an analytical device comprises a single movable tray for accommodating a plurality of vials, and lifting devices arranged in the proximity of the tray for lifting vials out of the tray. The tray has a plurality of recesses for holding the vial. The recesses are open at the bottom so that a vertically movable finger of a lifting device which can be positioned underneath the bottom of a vial can move the vial out of the tray by an upward movement. When a vial has been lifted out of the tray, the tray remains freely rotatable so that a different vial can be positioned at a further lifting device and then lifted out of the tray. The invention provides a mechanically simple apparatus which is particularly suited for capillary electrophoresis for handling vials containing sample and electrolyte liquid.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for processing liquids are provided. The apparatus include open-ended, hollow reactor compartments which are detachably connected to receptor ends of tube systems. In preferred embodiments, a portion of the tube system is fixed to a rotor arm which can be rotated in a circle and moved up and down. Another portion of the tube system is coupled to a metering syringe which serves for drawing in or ejecting fluids into or from the reactor compartment and/or the tube system. A plurality of process stations such as bottles containing reagents or solvents can be arranged on a circular tray such that they can be accessed by the reactor compartment or by the receptor end if the reactor compartment has been detached from the tube system. The invention can be used, for example, for automatic protein sequencing, whereby the proteins to be sequenced are held in place by a matrix in the reactor compartment.

Abstract: An apparatus for the stepwise performance of chemical reactions characterized by a cup-shaped reactor vessel spinning around its longitudinal axis, and a pipette for applying samples, reagents, and solvents onto the inner wall of the vessel. The pipette is rotatable around an axis, and can be positioned at a location from which it can be lowered into reservoirs for drawing in or for ejecting liquid. The pipette can furthermore be positioned at a location from which it can be lowered into the vessel for applying sample, reagents or solvents onto its inner wall or it can be positioned at a location from which it can be lowered to remove reaction products and excess products from the bottom of the vessel. The apparatus can be used for automatically sequencing proteins and/or peptides.

Abstract: A sample injector for a liquid chromatograph comprises a high pressure syringe unit, a sample intake unit having a needle which can be introduced into a sample container as well as into a seat, and a 6/2-way valve. The high pressure syringe unitis designed as a piston pump with a pump head and a piston which is driven by a motor via a drive mechanism. Pressurized liquid from a solvent delivery system (SDS) can enter the pump head through an inlet port and flow along the piston to an outlet port. When sample is to be injected into a chromatographic column, the 6/2-way vale is first switched to a position dotted whereby the pressurized solvent is shunted from the high pressure syringe unit to the column. The needle is then introduced into the container and the piston (5) is retracted to a position which draws in the desired volume of sample.

Abstract: A pumping apparatus for delivering liquid at a high pressure, in particular for use in liquid chromatography, comprises two pistons (10, 20) which reciprocate in pump chambers (7,18), respectively. The output of the first pump chamber (7) is connected via a valve (13) to the input of the second pump chamber (18). The pistons are driven by linear drives (30,31), e.g., ball-screw spindles. The stroke volume displaced by the piston (10) is freely adjustable by corresponding control of the angle by which the shaft of the drive motor (36) is rotated during a stroke cycle. The control circuitry is operative to reduce the stroke volume when the flow rate which can be selected by user at the user interface (42) is reduced, thus leading to reduced pulsations in the outflow of the pumping apparatus. The pumping apparatus can also be used for generating solvent gradients when a mixing valve (2) connected to different solvent containers (A,B,C,D) is coupled to the input of the pumping apparatus (FIG. 1).