Patent ID: 6428670
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A gel charger for charging a capillary cassette in which ends on a sample injection side of a plurality of capillary columns mounted on a multi-capillary electrophoretic apparatus are two dimensionally arranged through a holding member of a holder and fixed with airtightness between the capillary columns and the holding member, with a gel serving as a medium for electrophoresing samples, comprising:a chamber airtightly fixing the ends on the sample injection side of all the capillary columns of the capillary cassette through the holder, the chamber being adapted for successively introducing an acidic solution, pure water and inert gas into the capillary columns by decompression or pressurization for arranging inner parts of all the capillary columns and therefore introducing the gel into all the capillary columns by decompression or pressurization, wherein the chamber has an opening on its upper surface, with the opening having a closure means receiving the ends on the sample injection side of the capillary columns therein and closing the opening, and the chamber further has a gas outlet, the gel charger further comprising: an inert gas supply mechanism supplying inert gas, an introduced substance selection mechanism provided with an inert gas supply port supplied with inert gas from the inert gas supply mechanism, an acidic solution container storing an acidic solution, a pure water container storing pure water and a gel container storing the gel, and comprising a moving mechanism moving the inert gas supply port, the acidic solution container, the pure water container and the gel container as well as ends of the capillary columns on a detection side opposite to the sample injection side so that the ends of the capillary columns on the detection side are inserted in any of the inert gas supply port, the acidic solution container, the pure water container and the gel container, and a decompression mechanism provided on the gas outlet of the chamber.