Patent ID: 7338804

Claim:
A method for improving the merging of a test sample/first reagent, SR 1 , with a second reagent, R 2 , to form merged SR 1 +R 2 in a vanish zone of a capillary analytical line in an automated clinical analyzer utilizing a hydraulic capsule chemistry sample liquid analysis system for the analysis of human biological fluids, comprising: a) hydraulically introducing into the analytical line a test package comprising liquid segments of a test sample S, a first reagent R 1 and a second reagent R 2 ; b) contacting each reagent segment R 1 and R 2 with a suitable surface active compound to adjust the dynamic surface tension of each reagent segment R 1 and R 2 , so that the dynamic surface tension of R 1 is different from the dynamic surface tension of R 2 ; c) contacting the test sample S and the reagent R 1 in the analytical line to form mixed reagent/sample SR 1 ; and d) hydraulically transporting the mixed test sample/first reagent SR 1 and the second reagent R 2 into the vanish zone of the analytical line, to form merged SR 1 +R 2 .