Patent ID: 7208085

Claim:
Chromatographic cake apparatus comprising in combination: a tubular body section open-ended at both ends defining a central axis and having at least a lateral opening therein, said lateral opening extending between an outer face of the body section and an inner face of the body section in a lateral direction that is generally orthogonal to the central axis; first and second clamp plates fastened respectively at first and second ends of the tubular body section so as to define a fixed volume inner cavity of said apparatus having a cavity thickness as measured along said central axis that ranges from about 0.2–50 mm and a lateral dimension of said cavity measured along said lateral direction that ranges from about 5.0–1000 mm, wherein the ratio of cavity thickness to lateral dimension does not exceed 0.20; each of said first and second clamp plates having inner and outer clamp plate sides and a mobile phase inlet or outlet aperture along said central axis extending between the inner and outer clamp plate sides, said inlet or outlet aperture being capable of passing a mobile phase through a central portion of said clamp plate respectively into or out of said inner cavity; and, first and second frit elements positioned on the inner clamp plate sides adjacent an end of said inner cavity, each frit element comprising frit holes of a frit hole size so as to retain particulate chromatographic material having an average particle size greater than the frit hole size inside the inner cavity, while permitting passage of a mobile phase containing a material sized to pass through the frit holes.