US3341300A - Device for chromatographic elution - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 12, 1967 Filed Sept. 23, 1964 J. HOFMAN DEVICE FOR CHROMATOGRAPHIC ELUTION 2 sheets sheet 1 INVENTOR. V/ //I f/O/man Sept. 12, 1967 J. HOFMAN 3,341,300

DEVICE FOR CHROMATOGRAPHIC ELUTION Fi led Sept. 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

INVENTOR- 77/ 1 #07: a 71/ United States Patent C) 3,341,300 DEVICE FOR CHROMATOGRAPHIC ELUTION Jiii Hofman, Prague, Czechoslovakia, assignor to Laboratorni Pir'stroje, urodni podnik, Prague, Czechoslovakia Filed Sept. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 398,634 Claims priority, application Czechoslovakia, Sept. 25, 1963, 5,262/ 63 8 Claims. (Cl. 23-253) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Elution apparatus for chromatograms in which the tops of four upright supporting channels are connected by a trough. Three test tube carriers are held horizontally between adjacent channels by terminal resilient clips conformingly engaging serrations on the flanges of the channels. The top plates of the carriers are perforated to receive test tubes and equipped with hingedly attached trays which cover the perforations when small eluate cups are to be carried.

Background of the invention This invention relates to paper chromatography, and particularly to chromatographic equipment for elution of paper strips in preparative chromatography.

It is known to hold paper strips spotted with a material to be eluted in a generally upright position between glass plates. The top end of the strips are immersed in a liquid eluent, and the liquid descending in the strip is ultimately discharged at the bottom end into a cup or test tube.

One of the objects of the instant invention is the provision of improved chromatographic equipment capable of being made of materials which do not contaminate the collected eluate.

Another object is the provision of a chromatographic equipment which may be operated conveniently and which simultaneously accepts paper strips of unequal length.

Summary of the invention The invention provides an apparatus of the type described with several, horizontally spaced, upwardly elongated support members, a carrier member being interposed between two of the support members. Two resilient clip-s on the carrier member respectively normally engage the two support members under the resilient force thereof. A first receptacle adapted to hold a liquid extends between the support members above the carrier member, and the latter is equipped for holding another receptacle adapted to hold a liquid.

Each clip and the associated support member have respective normally engaged faces, and one of these members has another face obliquely inclined relative to the normally engaged face thereof and contiguously adjacent the engaged face. The clip can be moved against its resilient force in such a manner that the engaged face of the other member may be moved along the inclined face whereby the normally engaged faces are moved apart.

The exact nature of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the appended drawing.

Brief description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows chromatographic apparatus of the invention in front elevational section;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a perspective view on a larger scale; and

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the device of FIG. 1 in enlarged top plan view,

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is seen an enclosing shell 10 in which four elongated support members 1 are mounted upright in a common plane. Their tops are connected by a horizontal trough 5. Three test tube carriers 2 which have lateral apertures 7 are held horizontally between adjacent upright members 1 by resilient clips 8 on the carriers. A flat tray 3 is attached to the top of each carrier 2 by a hinge 12.

Paper strips confined between two glass plates 6, 6, 6" depend from the trough 5 and are of three dilferent lengths. Two of the carriers 2 are arranged closely subjacent the tapering bottom ends of the glass plates 6, 6' which are of smallest and medium length respectively, and carry small eluate cups 4 on their trays 3. The third tray 3 is swung away from the top of the associated carrier into which test tubes 11 are inserted to receive eluate from the longest paper strips and glass plates 6". The test tubes are viewed through the aperture 7.

As is better seen in FIG. 2, each upright support member 1 is a channel of approximately U-shaped cross section whose flanges have serrated inner faces 13 connected to the web or bight portion of the channel. by contiguously adjacent internal faces 14 obliquely inclined relative to the serrated faces 13.

Each test tube carrier 2 has a continuous bottom plate 15 below the opening 7 and a top plate 16 formed with openings 17 for receiving the test tubes 11 when the tray 3 is swung away from the illustrated position as indicated by a curved arrow.

Serrations on the resilient clip 8 normally engage the serrations of an associated flange face 13 of a support member 1 as is also seen on the left in FIG. 3. When pressure is exerted on the clip 8 in the direction of the arrow 9, the free edge of the clip 8 slides along an inclined face 14 of the support member 1, whereby the normally engaged, errated faces of the support member 1 and the test tube carrier 2 are moved apart whereupon the test tube carrier may be moved up or down, an abutment 18 on the carrier 2 preventing release of the carrier from the support member 1 in a horizontal direction.

The test tube carrier 2 may be removed upwardly from the associated support members 1. When the clips 8 are released, they resiliently return to the position shown on the left of FIG. 3, engaging a serrated support face 13.

The entire apparatus is preferably made of polypropylene and polyethylene except as otherwise stated above. The upright members 1, the cups 3, the trough 5, and the shell 10 of the chamber are made of polypropylene, while polyethylene is used for the test tube carriers 2 and the clips 8.

The apparatus may thus be made entirely of materials which do not react with the commonly employed eluents. The internal space of the chamber may be held to a minimum so that it may quickly be saturated with solvent vapors in a conventional manner, not shown. The vertical positions of the receptacle for the discharged eluent may be continuously adjusted in a simple manner. Strips of three diiferent lengths may be eluted simultaneously. Test tubes and small cups may be used interchangeably for receiving the eluate which is drawn by the paper strips from the trough 5. The entire apparatus is readily portable and may be hung from a wall. It transmits enough light to permit the elution process to be observed from the outside.

What I claim is:

1. In a chromatographic apparatus, in combination:

gated support members;

(b) a carrier member interposed between two of said support members;

(c) two resilient clip members on said carrier member respectively normally engaging said two support members under the resilient force thereof;

((1) .afirst receptacle adapted to hold a liquid and extending between said support members above said carrier member; and

(e) holding means on said carrier member for holding a second receptacle adapted to hold a liquid.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a shell enclosing said supports, said support members, said carrier member, and said first receptacle.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, another carrier member interposed between one of said two support members and a third one of said support members, another carrier member interposed between said one support member and said third support member, two resilient clip members on said carrier member respectively normal- 1y engaging said one support member and said third support member under the resilient force thereof, said first receptacle extending between said one support member and said third support member above said other carrier member, and holding means on said other carrier member for holding a third receptacle adapted to hold a liquid.

4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, each clip member and the associated engaged support member constituting a pair of members having respective normally engaged faces, one member of the pair having another face obliquely inclined relative to the normally engaged face thereof and contiguously adjacent thereto, and the clip member being movable against the resilient force thereof for movement of the other member of said pair along said inclined face of said one member, whereby said normally engaged faces are moved apart.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, said normally engaged faces being formed with projections and recesses, the projections of each face normally engaging the recesses of the other face.

6. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a portion of said carrier member being formed with an upwardly directed opening adapted to receive said second receptacle, and constituting an element of said holding means.

7. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said holding means further including a tray member hingedly mounted on said carrier member for pivotal movement toward and away from a horizontally extending position in which said tray member covers said portion of said carrier member.

8. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said carrier member being formed with a lateral aperture for viewing said second receptacle when received in said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1962 Kopp 248-205 X OTHER REFERENCES JOSEPH SCOVRONEK, Acting Primary Examiner.

MORRIS O. WOLK, Examiner.

L. MEI, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A CHROMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION: (A) A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED, UPWARDLY ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS; (B) A CARRIER MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN TWO OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS; (C) TWO RESILIENT CLIP MEMBERS ON SAID CARRIER MEMBER RESPECTIVELY NORMALLY ENGAGING SAID TWO SUPPORT MEMBERS UNDER THE RESILIENT FORCE THEREOF;

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