JPH10300740A - Fraction collector and liquid-collecting bottle rack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently prevent a harmful effect due to the volatilization of a separation liquid by providing a number of small holes at the lid body of a liquid-collecting bottle rack and providing a suction pump that is connected to a closed space. SOLUTION: A filter 33, a tube 34, and a suction pump 35 are arranged at the rear of a rack-placing stand 3 of a fraction collector. A number of small holes 55 (the number of liquid-collecting bottles 6 to be stored) are provided at the lid body of a liquid-collecting bottle rack 5. When a separation liquid is to be injected from a liquid-injecting nozzle 3 into the liquid-collecting bottles 6, the need for removing the lid body is eliminated due to the presence of the small holes 55. Although the liquid-collecting bottles 6 may have a highly volatile liquid, gas in a closed space Y that is connected to an inner space X of the rack-placing stand 3 is sucked when the suction pump 35 is operated. The small holes 55 function as a suction port and no gas is unloaded. Therefore, even if the separation liquid is highly volatile and is harmful to a human body or easily catches fire, the liquid cannot be leaked to an area near a device, thus improving safety.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a fraction collector and a liquid collecting bin rack in a preparative liquid chromatograph, which effectively prevents the adverse effects of volatilization of a separated liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A method for separating a sample using a liquid chromatograph apparatus is basically intended for analyzing a sample or for separating a specific component. It is based on a similar principle. However, in the case of a device for the purpose of fractionation, since it is necessary to obtain a large amount of sample with high accuracy in a short time, the form of the device is different.

[0003] Naturally, the amount of necessary and unnecessary separation liquids to be produced is much larger than that of a general analytical liquid chromatograph.

[0004] On the other hand, the separation liquid often contains a highly volatile substance, but it is easy to imagine that it has a bad effect on workers and the like. That is, caution is required when the vaporized gas is harmful to the human body, corrosive, flammable, or the like. Unlike an analytical liquid chromatograph apparatus, which has a relatively short separation work time, a preparative apparatus may even be operated overnight. In addition, since the liquid collection bottle is not normally taken out until the separation operation is completed, in such a case, even if the liquid is highly volatile, the liquid collection bottle must wait for a long time in the liquid collection bin on the rack. Will be done. Then, the vicinity of the device will be filled with the vaporized gas, which may not only cause a fire but also create a harmful environment for the human body. On the other hand, conventionally, at best, measures were taken to the extent that the work was performed in the draft chamber.

[0005]

However, the use of the draft chamber is not efficient because it has a problem in operability and requires a large space because it covers the apparatus. Met.

[0006]

In view of the above-mentioned points, the present inventors have finally made the present invention as a result of intensive research, and the feature of the present invention is that the separated liquid generated in preparative liquid chromatography is A fraction collector and a collection bin rack used when automatically discharging a liquid injection nozzle into a plurality of collection bins while sequentially moving the injection nozzles, and storing the large number of collection bins with almost the same upper end height. The liquid collecting bin rack is covered with a sealing wall, and a through hole is formed on the top surface of the sealing wall at a position facing the opening of each of the collected liquid collecting bins. It is separated from the through hole, and the fraction collector side is
In that it has a suction pump leading to the space enclosed by the sealing wall.

[0007] The term "separation liquid" is a phrase indicating a component obtained as a result of press-fitting a fractionated sample together with a solvent into a column. Separation liquids are separated and purified by individually collecting them in collection bottles. However, the collection bottles may include those containing a large amount of unnecessary components that cannot be collected.

[0008] A large number of the liquid collecting bottles are used and are arranged neatly on the rack body. Each of the separated liquids separated and discharged from the column is discharged from the liquid injection nozzle through the infusion tube or the like to the liquid collection bin (of course, unnecessary solvents and the like are directly drained without passing through the liquid injection nozzle). In this case, not all the separated liquid reaches the injection nozzle). In the case of preparative liquid chromatography, unlike for analysis, the separation time is long and the peak spread is often large.Therefore, a continuous automatic fraction collector is basically used, and the injection nozzle is usually opened at the collection bottle opening. , The separated liquid is discharged, and then moved to the next liquid collection bin opening.

In the present invention, the rack main body storing the liquid collecting bin is covered with a sealing wall. The “wall” here is a concept word including not only the side surface but also the top surface and the bottom surface. In addition, although the term “sealing” is used, it does not mean that perfect airtightness or watertightness can be maintained, and as is clear from the existence of through-holes engraved on the top surface of the sealing wall, It has a part which communicates with. However, the volatile gas existing in the internal space of the closed wall does not go out of the through hole. Therefore, "sealed" here
May be interpreted to mean "do not allow internal gas to leak".

[0010] The through-hole is naturally provided right above the openings of all the collecting bins to be installed. In other words, on the top surface of the closed wall, at least as many through holes as the number of liquid collection bottles that can be installed in the apparatus are provided at locations facing these liquid collection bottle openings. As long as the size of the through-hole is as small as possible as long as it does not prevent the separation liquid from being discharged from the injection nozzle, it is easy to reliably achieve the object of the present invention of preventing the leakage of the vaporized gas. It depends on the size and depth of the bin, the shape of the nozzle, and the like, and is not limited.
However, in any case, it is included in the general concept of “small hole”.

The sealing wall must be detachable from the rack main body when loading or unloading the liquid collection bottle from the rack main body. In the present invention, there is no particular limitation on a structural device for that purpose.

[0012] The "suction pump" is a pump for sucking air in the space partitioned by the sealing wall and discharging the air to the outside. Suction reduces the air pressure in the internal space,
An airflow is generated from the through-hole formed in the top surface of the closed wall toward the internal space. Even if volatile gas is present inside the space, only a very small amount of this air flow will not leak out from the through-hole. Therefore, the suction capacity required for the suction pump is small, and it is easy to reduce the size of the pump. Excessive suction can promote the evaporation of the separated liquid and is not very effective.

It is more preferable to add a member such as a filter to the flow path connecting the suction pump and the inner space of the closed wall or in the vicinity thereof to purify and discharge the suction gas.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a fraction collector 1 according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present apparatus 1). As is apparent from the figure, the apparatus 1 of the present invention is a liquid injection nozzle 2 that moves back and forth and left and right under computer control.
And a rack mounting table 3 provided thereunder. The rack mounting table 3 itself forms a box-shaped internal space X, and has a plurality of holes 32 communicating with the internal space X. A filter 33, a tube 34, and an intake pump 35 are arranged behind the rack mounting table 3.

When the suction pump 35 is driven, gas present in the internal space X of the rack mounting table 3 is sucked. At the same time, gas existing near the rack mounting table 3 flows into the internal space X through the holes 32.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a liquid collecting bin rack 5 according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present rack 5") and a state in which the rack is to be installed in the present invention apparatus 1 shown in FIG. It is. The rack 5 of the present invention has a bottom structure in which the holes 32 provided on the rack mounting table 3 of the device 1 of the present invention can function as air intake holes when installed in the device 1 of the present invention. In the case of the rack 5 of the present invention of this example, the hole 51 having a position and a size substantially overlapping with the hole 32 provided in the rack mounting table 3 is provided. Not shown). However, in any case, after the rack 5 of the present invention is installed in the device 1 of the present invention, a closed space Y that is isolated from the outside is formed in the rack.

The rack 5 of the present invention has a small recess 52 at the bottom in order to fix the collection bin 6 at a predetermined position.
The side plate is provided with a holding plate 53 having a holding hole through which the liquid collection bin 6 can be inserted with almost no gap. The side plate itself is partially covered with a transparent body so that the state of the inside can be visually checked. Also, on the top surface, there is a lid 54 that is separated from the upper end of the internal liquid collection bin 6 even when it is installed, and is removable. The cover 54 has a large number of small holes 55 (the number of liquid collection bottles 6 that can be stored). The small hole 55 is a hole for completely putting the separated liquid discharged from the liquid injection nozzle 2 into the liquid collecting bin 6 without removing the lid 54. In addition, although the liquid injection nozzle 2 of this example moves back and forth, right and left, but does not move up and down, it may be moved up and down (not shown). In that case, the small holes 55 should not hinder the vertical movement of the nozzle 2.

Due to the presence of the small holes 55, even when the separation liquid is injected from the injection nozzle 2 into the collection bin 6, the cover 54 is not used.
No need to remove it. Although the liquid collecting bottle 6 naturally contains a highly volatile liquid, the volatile gas does not leak out of the apparatus 1 of the present invention. That is, when the suction pump 35 is driven, the gas existing in the internal space X of the rack mounting table 3 is sucked in. Similarly, the gas in the closed space Y communicating with the internal space X is similarly drawn. It is sucked. Therefore, the small hole 55 functions as an intake port for the rack 5 of the present invention, and does not discharge any gas.

[0020]

As described in detail above, the fraction collector and the collection bin rack according to the present invention collect the separated liquid generated in preparative liquid chromatography in a large number while automatically moving the injection nozzle sequentially. A fraction collector and a collection bin rack used when discharging the liquid into the liquid bottle, wherein the collection bin rack that stores the plurality of collection bins with the upper end heights substantially aligned is covered with a sealing wall, Through holes are engraved on the top surface of this closed wall at positions facing the openings of the individual liquid collection bottles to be stored,
And the opening and the through hole are separated from each other, and the fraction collector side has a suction pump communicating with a space closed by the sealing wall, This is a very advanced invention having various effects as described below.

Even if the separated liquid has high volatility and is harmful to humans or easily ignited, these volatile gases do not leak to the vicinity of the apparatus. Therefore, safety is high. As compared with the case of a draft chamber or other conventional intake / exhaust equipment, the intake pump required for the intake pump is extremely small, and the maintenance cost is low. It can be easily adopted without major modifications to the building itself.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a fraction collector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a liquid collection bin rack according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the fraction collector shown in FIG.
It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which installed the liquid collection bin rack shown by.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Fraction collector according to the present invention 2 Injection nozzle 3 Rack mounting table 32 Hole 33 Filter 34 Tube 35 Intake pump 5 Liquid collecting bin rack 51 according to the present invention 51 Hole 52 Depression 53 Holding plate 54 Lid 55 Small hole 6 Liquid collecting bottle X Internal space Y Enclosed space

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fraction collector and a collection bin rack used for discharging a separation liquid generated in preparative liquid chromatography into a large number of collection bins while automatically moving a liquid injection nozzle sequentially. The liquid collecting bin rack for storing the plural liquid collecting bottles having almost the same upper end height is covered with a sealing wall, and the top surface of the sealing wall faces the opening of each liquid collecting bin to be stored. The opening and the opening are separated from each other, and the fraction collector side has a suction pump communicating with the space closed by the sealing wall. A fraction collector and a liquid collection bin rack, which are characterized in that: