Patent ID: 6379625
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: B01F,B01J,C40B,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A device for mixing a solvent with a solute to form a solution, and separating said solution from excess solute so that a sample of solution less excess solute can be obtained, said device comprising:a well plate with at least one closed bottom well protruding downward from the top surface of said well plate, having a top interior profile formed by the non-overlapping portions of two overlapping circles and having a bottom interior profile formed by the non-overlapping portions of two overlapping circles with the radii of the bottom circles being equal to or less than the radii of the corresponding top circles to form a well with a nominal interior profile in the shape of a figure eight with multiple wells being arranged in an array, one cup for each of said at least one well, substantially cylindrical in shape with an open top and a closed bottom with at least one hole protruding through the bottom, with the bottom outside diameter being less than or equal to the top outside diameter with a length less than the height of said at least one well with one cap inserted into each of said at least one well with the top surface of each cup aligned with the top surface of said well plate and with the central axis of each cup aligned with the corresponding central axis of one of the circles of the top interior profile of said at least one well, a filter means capable of retaining said excess solute and capable of passing said solution disposed below said cup with the outer periphery of said filter means sealed to the outer periphery of the bottom of said cup thereby dividing said at least one well into a storage chamber contained in the interior of said cup and a mix chamber contained in the portion of the at least one well outside said cup, a permanent magnet located in the bottom portion of said mix chamber having a length less than the inside diameter of said mix chamber and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the magnet and substantially parallel to the rotational axis of an external rotating magnetic field and rotating when driven by said external rotating magnetic field thereby efficiently mixing a solvent with a solute to form a solution in the mix chamber, one or more gas channels disposed in the top surface of said well plate for placing the mix chambers in gas flow relation with a mix gas port.