Patent ID: 8119998

Claim:
A mixing system for use in an apparatus for evaluating physicochemical properties of sample materials contained in an array of vessels, the apparatus including a light detector, a light source for transmitting a light beam through the sample material in a vessel to the light detector, and an analyzer for processing data from the light detector to determine concentration-related properties of the sample material as a function of time, the mixing system comprising: a plurality of magnetic stirrer elements, each for being placed in a sample material in a different one of the array of vessels; an array of magnetic drive elements, each associated with a different one of the array of vessels and being magnetically coupled with a magnetic stirrer element in an associated vessel; and a drive mechanism coupled to the array of magnetic drive elements for simultaneously moving each of the magnetic drive elements relative to an associated vessel to cause corresponding movement of the magnetic stirrer element in the associated vessel to stir the sample material; wherein the array of magnetic drive elements and the drive mechanism are configured to enable passage of the light beam from the light source through the sample material in each vessel to the light detector such that a concentration-related property of the sample material contained in a vessel can be detected as a function of time while the sample material is being stirred by a magnetic stirrer element.