WO2025056931A1

WO2025056931A1 - Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell, rotor provided with this, and its use in centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2025056931A1
Application number: PCT/HU2024/050068
Authority: WO
Inventors: László NÉMETH; Attila DECSI; Ferenc Fábián
Original assignee: Lilichro Kft
Current assignee: Lilichro Kft
Priority date: 2023-09-13
Filing date: 2024-08-23
Publication date: 2025-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-13
Also published as: HUP2300301A1

Abstract

The object of the invention relates to a centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) and to a centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) containing such extraction cell structure, it also relates to its production, where the individual sawtooth-like pieces (6) are prism shaped, preferably triangle-based prism-shaped; the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) contains at least two sawtooth-like pieces (6), and the individual sawtooth-like pieces (6) are positioned parallel to each other in the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5). The object of the invention also relates to a rotor for centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus containing the above centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell ( 1 ) and to centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus containing such rotor.

Description

CENTRIFUGAL PARTITION CHROMATOGRAPHY EXTRACTION CELL, ROTOR PROVIDED WITH THIS, AND ITS USE IN CENTRIFUGAL PARTITION CHROMATOGRAPHY APPARATUS

The field of the invention

The obj ect of the invention relates to a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell , particularly to its cell wall structure .

The obj ect of the invention also relates to a centri fugal partition chromatography rotor, a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus containing such a rotor, to the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell and the rotor in a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus , and the obj ect of the invention relates to a chromatographic method implemented with the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell .

The background of the invention

In the chemicals industry and in other branches of industry dealing with or using chemical materials , it is frequently necessary to separate mixtures of materials into their constituent parts , which methods are collectively known as separation techniques .

Among separation techniques there is di f ferentiation made between industrial methods and analytical methods . It should be noted that this is not a strict di f ferentiation, analytical methods may be partially or completely used in industrial methods and vice versa . Analytical separation technology methods include physical-chemical methods, and these include chromatography methods. Chromatography is a separation technology method based on the difference of material transfer between a stationary phase and a mobile phase in contact with it. The components of the material mixture to be separated, i.e. the sample, are able to create interactions with the stationary phase and the mobile phase of a varying type and degree, in other words the components remain in the stationary phase for a different amount of time compared to in the mobile phase, their retention differs.

In the scope of the present specification we deal with liquidliquid chromatography methods, specifically centrifugal partition chromatography methods, primarily with the extraction cells used during these methods. In the case of liquid-liquid chromatography methods (abbreviated as LLC in the literature) , both the stationary phase and the mobile phase are liquids, which liquids are not substantially miscible with each other. The distribution of the components of the sample to be separated also differs between the two liquids; the transfer of material takes place at the interface between the two liquids.

Those liquid-liquid chromatography methods in which the stationary phase is created from a liquid phase solvent or multi-component solvent mixtures as a result of the centrifugal force and in which the mobile phase is also a liquid are called centrifugal partition chromatography, and is abbreviated as CPC in the literature.

The most rudimentary predecessor of partition chromatography is the device known as the Craig Apparatus created by Lyman C. Craig in 1943 and is based on counter-current distribution, this is abbreviated as the CCD apparatus [Craig, L.C.; Post, 0., Anal. Chem., 1949, 21 (4) , 500-504.] . Droplet counter-current chromatography appeared in the 1970s, in this method the liquid stationary phase is kept in a collection of vertical glass columns connected in series, and the mobile phase passes through the columns in the form of droplets [Tanimura, T.; Pisano, J. J.; Ito, Y.; Bowman, R. L., 1970, Droplet Countercurrent Chromatography, Science, 169 (3940) , 54-56.] , initially the stationary phase was immobilised by gravitational force.

It happened first in the 1980s that centrifugal force was used to create the immobilised stationary phase in an apparatus adapted for liquid-liquid separation. By using centrifugal partition chromatography, it became possible to achieve a greater flow rate and thereby a separation method that was faster and had higher productivity, which method could also be used in industry.

Multiple chromatography apparatuses are known of in the state of the art that use centrifugal force.

Patent application with publication number WO21259577A1 discloses a universal rotor that may be used for all systems that are adapted for the centrifugal acceleration of liquids. The rotors contain several cells that are positioned on it radially (i.e. the longitudinal axis of the individual cells is in the radial direction) or slanted (i.e. the longitudinal axis of the individual cells is at an angle to the radius) .

Patent application No. EP3204136A1 presents an extraction cell that may be used for centrifugal partition chromatography, and its production. The extraction cell is tube-like, which has an inlet and outlet plug connected to its inlet and outlet ends. An insert that liquids may pass through may be placed into the extraction cell , which insert reduces the undesirable turbulent flow caused by Coriolis force and increases the material-trans fer surface between the two phases ( stationary and mobile phase ) . The insert may have a regular or irregular structure , or may be a bulk insert . According to an embodiment of the extraction cell , the cell is symmetrical , two of its opposite walls are roughened, which is understood to mean, for example , a stepped or sawtooth structure . It should be noted that the insert located in the cell probably becomes compressed due to the ef fect of the centri fugal force , and due to this its separation ef ficiency deteriorates .

Patent application No . WO2017072542A1 discloses a method for the puri fication of cyclosporine . In figure 5 of the patent application it may be seen that the wall of the extraction cell is roughened, which roughening is preferably of a stepped or sawtooth structure .

The obj ect of patent application No . US2013005556AA relates to an apparatus and method during which immiscible liquid phases come into contact with each other as a result of centri fugal force . The apparatus contains at least one unit adapted for bringing the liquids into contact with each other, which, according to the speci fication, may rotate around the axis X' X, and which contains several cells .

Patent application No . W013036803A discloses coated rotors that may be used for preparative centri fugal thin-layer chromatography .

Patent application No . US2008035546A1 relates to an optimal dimensioning method for the cells of a centri fugal partition chromatograph . The rotor of the centri fugal partition chromatograph disclosed in patent application No . US2004173534AA contains at least one thick-walled cylindrical body, which cylindrical body contains multiple cells ( even as many as several hundred long cells may be located in it ) that are connected to each other in series . The rotating apparatus can withstand pressure in excess of 100 bar, in other words it may be used to good ef fect in industry too .

Patent No . EP1166100B1 relates to a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus that contains at least one rotor disc that may rotate around an axis , which contains a multitude of cells connected in series via channels .

Patent application No . FR2883770A1 deviates from the former (EPl 1661 G OBI ) in terms of the structure of the inside of the cells . Dividers opposite each other are formed inside the cells perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cell , in other words , as a result of the dividers the path taken by the liquid passing through the cell is not in accordance with the empty cell space , but instead it follows the path created by the internal shapes , see figures 15 and 16 of patent application No . FR288377A1 , thereby improving separation . The apparatus disclosed in the application does not only enable preparative liquid-liquid separation, but it may also be used on industrial scales . The dividers located inside the extraction cell are for extending the flow length of the liquid, which may improve separation .

Patent application No . US4877523A relates to an apparatus that is related to centri fugal counter-current partition chromatography . The apparatus is suitable for the testing, separation and puri fication of biochemical materials or natural organic compounds , i . e . for quantitative or qualitative analysis , and for the refining of raw samples . In terms of its topic, it is very similar to patent application No . JP56016868A2 .

The invention described in patent application No . US2009173680 relates to a continuous counter-current chromatographic system adapted for the separation and/or puri fication of materials . The essence of this invention is that it makes the countercurrent chromatography known of at the time continuous . It solved the technical problem by arranging multiple interconnected rotating cells in ring-like fashion on the dishes . The two liquids used in the cells are transported in a counter current , thereby increasing the ef ficiency of the separation .

The obj ect of patent application No . JPS 629270A is a subunit that may be used in a centri fugal partition chromatograph . The rotor of the apparatus is cylindrical , along the circumference of which multiple so-called column cells are formed, and neighbouring cells are connected to one another .

Patent application No . US2010200488A1 discloses a centri fugal partition chromatograph column that consists of discs placed on each other . The discs contain a network of three- dimensional cells connected in series .

There is no centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus containing extraction cells known of in the state of the art where the cell wall structure in the extraction cells is such that this structure is able to minimise the negative ef fects caused by tangential force more ef fectively even in the case of industrial scale puri fications . Therefore , the obj ective was set to provide a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus the extraction cells of which contain a cell wall structure with which more ef ficient separation is provided compared to the known extraction cells and their cell wall structure .

The obj ective of the present invention is , furthermore , the creation of centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus that is suitable for both analytical and industrial scale separation, and, even in the case of upscaling, the ratio of the stationary and mobile phases in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell does not drop, and this ratio remains at least 80% .

The above obj ective was achieved with a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus that contains sawtooth-like pieces serving as cell-wall structure . The function of the sawtoothlike pieces according to the present invention is to increase the phase interface surface area through which the material trans fer between phases takes place , and, thereby, to increase the ef ficiency of the chromatography separation, and, at the same time , to reduce the amount of stationary phase , as the cell wall structure according to the present invention reduces the amount of "dead space" , which plays no role from the point of view of separation .

The sawtooth-like pieces placed in the extraction cells are responsible for the ef ficiency of the chromatographic separation of the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus according to the present invention .

We recognised that i f the sawtooth-like pieces force the mobile phase passing through the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell onto a path di f ferent from the paths to date , the path length of the material flow passing through the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus will grow, which leads to an increase in productivity . In other words , a signi ficant advantage of the solution according to the present invention compared to the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatuses according to the state of the art is that as a result of the sawtooth-like pieces the material trans fer surface area has grown . The structure of the extraction cell as a result of the sawtooth-like pieces contributes to an increase in chromatographic ef ficiency . Among the cell structures known of to date ( in most cases these are inserts ) there are , for example , metal mesh, steel wool , fibreglass and silica gel filler . However, due to the li fetime of these , how they may be cleaned and, in certain cases , due to them being crushed by the centripetal force , the use of the sawtooth-like piece according to the present invention is preferable as it does not become deformed due to the ef fect of the centripetal force . Additionally, another signi ficant advantage of the present invention is that in contrast with the solutions disclosed in the documents according to the state of the art , a greater material flow path length can be achieved with the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell according to the present invention, i . e . it makes more productive , thereby faster and more economical separation possible , it is possible to upscale the solution, and it does not influence pressure resistance . As a result of the structure of the wall of the extraction cell according to the present invention the flow in the cell is well defined, flow is laminar, i . e . there is no back- mixing .

A brief presentation of the figures

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferable embodiment of the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall in the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus (without depiction of the cell ) . Figure 2 shows a cross-section view of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell in the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus , where the structure of the extraction cell wall according to the invention is located within the cell .

Figure 3 shows a top view of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell (without the cell wall structure ) .

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a preferable embodiment of the external and internal structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell , without the cell wall structure .

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a preferable embodiment of the external structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell .

Figure 6 shows the result of the comparisons of centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells with the tube structure disclosed in patent application No . EP3204136A1 and containing the cell wall structure created by the sawtoothlike pieces according to the present invention in connection with the separation of parabens .

Brief description of the invention

The obj ect of the present invention relates to the structure of the wall of a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell , where the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell has at least two flat sides and i ) the cell wall structure contains prism-shaped sawtooth-like pieces , preferably these are triangle-based prism-shaped, ii ) the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure contains at least two sawtooth-like pieces , and iii ) the individual sawtooth-like pieces are positioned parallel to each other along one of the two flat sides of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell .

The number of the sawtooth-like pieces of the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall is at least 2 , at the most 8 , preferably 6 .

According to a preferable embodiment of the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall according to the invention, the sawtooth-like pieces are triangular-based prisms where the side of the prism that corresponds to the triangle base is located in one plane in the case of all the sawtooth-like pieces , thereby forming one flat side of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall .

According to another preferable embodiment of the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall according to the invention, the sawtooth-like pieces are triangular-based prisms where the angle between the base of the triangle and one of its edges is between 40 ° and 80 ° , preferably 47 . 54 ° .

According to yet another preferable embodiment of the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall according to the invention, the sawtoothlike pieces are triangular-based prisms where the height of the prism is between 160 mm and 200 mm, preferably 185 mm .

The obj ect of the present invention also relates to a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell , the internal structure of which is in the shape of a horse racing track shaped prism, where the base of the horse racing track shaped prism is preferably formed so that the ratio of its maj or axis and minor axis is at least 3 : 1 , even more preferably its maj or axis is 180 mm, and its minor axis is 50 mm, furthermore , the cell contains the cell wall structure according to the present invention on one of the two flat sides of the cell .

According to a preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell according to the present invention, the cell wall structure constitutes at least 68 % of the top-view cross-section of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell without such cell wall structure , and/or constitutes 90% of it at the most .

According to another preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell according to the present invention, at least one of the sawtooth-like pieces of the cell wall structure extends beyond the cell centreline , parallel to the longitudinal edge of the pieces , understood without the cell wall structure .

The volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell according to the present invention without the cell wall structure is at least 1 . 5 ml , and/or up to 1 . 3 1 .

The obj ect of the present invention also relates to a rotor for centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus which contains the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells according to the present invention .

According to a preferable embodiment of the one or more rotors containing the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell according to the present invention, the number of centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cells per rotor is between 30 and 100, where the total length of the column is between 2.5 and 4.1 m.

The object of the present invention also relates to a centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus that contains one or more rotors according to the present invention.

The object of the present invention also relates to a method for the production of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell used in the centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus, during which the cell wall structure according to the present invention is placed into the inside of the extraction cell or is formed in it.

Detailed description of the invention

Within the context of the present specification if a numerical value is given, it should be understood as meaning that the last digit of the given number shows the accuracy of the given value in accordance with the rules of rounding. In other words, for example, 99.0% is understood to mean the range of 98.95% to 99.04%.

In the case of liquid-liquid chromatography methods (LLC) both the stationary phase and the mobile phase are liquids, which liquids are not substantially miscible. The distribution of the components of the sample to be separated among the two phases differs, the transfer of material takes place at the interface between the two phases (stationary and mobile phases) . Chromatography is called ascending chromatography when the stationary phase is the denser phase and the mobile phase is the less dense phase , in such a case the mobile phase flows from the rotational circumference towards the rotational centre . Descending chromatography is when the stationary phase is the less dense phase and the mobile phase is the denser liquid phase , in such a case the mobile phase flows from the rotational centre towards the rotational circumference .

Those liquid-liquid chromatography methods in which the stationary phase is created from liquid solvent or multicomponent solvent mixtures as a result of the centri fugal force field, and in which the mobile phase is a liquid are called centri fugal partition chromatography methods , which may be abbreviated as CPC . A device that uses a centri fugal force field for separation (puri fication) is a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus . In the context of the present invention the series of centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells located in the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus is responsible for the chromatographic separation .

The separation results from the fact that the propensity for the material trans fer ( sorption/desorption) of the components in the solution with di f ferent partition coef ficients between the mobile and the stationary phases at the phase interface surface is di f ferent , so they spend di f ferent amounts of time in the individual phases . In other words , the ef ficiency of the chromatographic separation largely depends on the si ze of the material-trans fer surface between the stationary and mobile phases . In other words , i f the si ze of the materialtrans fer surface is increased, then the chromatographic ef ficiency will also increase . Figure 2 shows a cross-section view of an extraction cell according to the present invention . In the context of the present invention, a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 is that chamber delimited by a cell wall that contains one or more outlet pipe ends 3 and one or more inlet pipe ends 4 and in which the two liquid phases are mixed and thereby the separation of the components of the sample takes place . Figure 2 shows the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 placed or machined in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 .

As it may be seen in figure 4 , with respect to its design the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention is , viewed from the outside , preferably a rectangular based prism with a horse racing track shaped cylinder cavity inside it . That is , the part of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 actually taking part in the separation, in other words its internal structure is the horse racing track shaped cylinder cavity . The horse racing track shaped cylinder internal structure is understood to mean a prism the base of which is in the shape of a horse racing track, and its height is preferably greater than the minor and maj or axes of the horse racing track, even more preferably at least 2 . 7 % larger than the main axis of the horse racing track base . The horse racing track shape is understood to mean a geometrical shape where two straight sections parallel to each other connect two curved sections opposite one another . The si ze of the radius of the curved sections is variable and corresponds to the si ze of the extraction cell . The horse racing track shape has two axes of symmetry perpendicular to each other, which for the sake of simplicity, on the basis of the geometry of ellipses , are called the maj or and minor axes . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 may be made from the following materials : stainless and acid resistant steel ; PTFE ; PVDF; PEEK; HDPE ; titanium; graphite and carbon fibre composites . The approximate maximum pressure value that the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention can withstand is usually 100 bar, during operation the operating pressure value is usually between 5 and 50 bar . As is known to a person skilled in the art , series-connected centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 are linked to each other with lines suitable for the transportation of liquids , in other words the cells have outlet 3 and inlet pipe ends 4 ( openings ) . The inlet pipe ends 4 and the outlet pipe ends 3 are preferably conical in shape ( see figure 2 ) .

A series of cells set up in a rotor in this way is suitable so that the solvent can flow through it at high pressure .

A signi ficant advantage of the solution according to the invention compared to the solutions according to the state of the art is that more ef ficient separation may be achieved with the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 in extraction cells .

The obj ect of the present invention relates to the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 shown in figure 1 that may be used for the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , where the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell has two flat walls and i ) the cell wall structure contains prism-shaped sawtooth-like pieces 6 , preferably these are triangle-based prism-shaped, ii ) the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 contains at least two sawtooth-like pieces 6 , and iii ) the individual sawtooth-like pieces 6 are positioned parallel to each other along one of the two flat sides of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell .

In figure 1 it may be seen that the individual sawtooth-like pieces 6 are prism-shaped . In the context of the present speci fication, " sawtooth-like" is understood to mean that the part of the pieces that protrudes into the cell space contains one or more edges in such a way that this edge does not lie up against the neighbouring piece ' s edge or side , i . e . the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 is positioned on its own freely in the space compared to other parts . Figure 1 shows a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 that is formed by six such sawtooth-like pieces 6 . The number of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 may, nevertheless , be changed with the stipulation that the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 must contain at least two sawtooth-like pieces 6 in order to achieve the ef fect according to the invention . It may also be seen in figure 1 that the sawtooth-like pieces 6 are positioned parallel to each other on the cell wall structure in such a way that their sides that constitute a plane ( on the left side of figure 1 ) are in contact with one another . During the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the invention, it is along this plane that the structure lies up on the cell wall . It should be noted that the scope of protection of the present invention includes a case where the individual sawtooth-like pieces 6 are separated by a gap, in which case the aforementioned plane , apart from the given sides of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 , is also constituted by other structural elements , e . g . plates .

According to a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the sawtooth-like pieces 6 have the shape of a triangle-based prism . The reason for this is that the triangle-based prism is the simplest geometrical shape with which the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention is able to ful fil the obj ective according to the invention . Nevertheless , it should be noted that other prisms based on two-dimensional figures may also be suitable as a sawtooth-like piece 6 , i f they are placed with respect to each other in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 in such a way that they correspond to the above definition of " sawtoothlike" . Accordingly, rectangular, pentangular, hexangular and star-shape-based sawtooth-like pieces may also be used .

The advantage of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention is that in this way the phenomenon of back-mixing occurring in unfilled centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells , and so the aforementioned pieces increase the ef ficiency of chromatographic separation . On the other hand, i f the material trans fer surface within the extraction cell is suf ficiently increased then fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 are suf ficient to achieve the same separation ef ficiency . In this case , as a result of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 , the mobile phase is unable to adhere to the wall of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , thereby the material trans fer interface grows . The above results in that fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell s 1 are used, which is preferable because due to this the resulting pressure drop on the rotor is lower .

With respect to the present invention, an unexpected recognition was that with the use of at least two sawtoothlike pieces 6 positioned in parallel to each other in the cell , as centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 , the negative ef fects caused by tangential force occurring during the operation of the cell may be reduced, as a result of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 the speci fic surface area of the interior of the cell increases by approx . 35-70% , as stated further above , the material trans fer interface also increases in si ze , and so an extraction cell containing such sawtooth-like pieces 6 results in more ef ficient separation . In other words , the recognition behind the invention is that with the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 , the volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell s 1 that does not take part in the separation may be reduced . Therefore , within the context of the present speci fication centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure is understood to mean a structure that performs the function of partially filling the volume of the extraction cell . With the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 wall , with its sawtooth-like pieces 6 and with the use of the cell wall structure in the extraction cells , our obj ective was not to divide the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 into smaller units , instead, as explained in detail above , with the cell wall structure according to the invention the extraction cell volume is reduced by the part of the cell volume that would not be used during the operation of the cell from the point of view of separation ( such volumes are the parts of the extraction cells filled with stationary phase ) . In the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 increases the si ze of the interface between the stationary phase and the mobile phase in the extraction cell during operation compared to extraction cells that do not have such a cell wall structure . Furthermore , as a result of the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 the length of the path of the material mixtures to be separated and filled into the extraction cell increases . After passing over the sawtooth-like pieces 6 the mobile phase becomes atomised, moves away from the cell wall , and due to the former its speci fic surface area increases signi ficantly, then once again gets completely into the stationary phase , thereby increasing the phase interface between the stationary phase and the mobile phase . In chromatographic separation, by increasing the si ze of the phase interface the trans fer of material between the phases can be increased, in other words the greater the si ze of the interface between the phases , the better the separation ef ficiency that may be achieved .

The use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention is preferable compared to the known inserts and extraction cell wall structures because it does not become deformed as a result of the ef fect of the centri fugal force occurring during separation and remains stable even when centripetal force is exerted on it during rotation . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 exerts its ef fect in two ways , on the one part it re-atomises the coagulated larger droplets , and does not let the mobile phase pass through the cells by being pushed up against the extraction cell wall ( as this would reduce the si ze of the material trans fer surface ) , and, on the other part , it increases the length of the pathway within the cell - these ef fects increase the speci fic surface area of the internal volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention - i . e . the productivity of such extraction cells is increased .

One centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 may be found in each extraction cell , during cleaning of the extraction cell the solvent used for this flows through the entire volume of the extraction cell without any blind spots , thereby, on the one part , the solvent demand for cleaning is lower, the cell wall structure , due to its structure , may be optionally replaced, so the extraction cells can be cleaned individually as well .

In top view, the interior of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention is in the shape of a horse racing track, its shape is symmetrical , and as a result it may be operated in both ascending and descending modes without any refitting being necessary .

The turbulent flow occurring during the centri fugal partition chromatography separation process causes circular flow inside conventional centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells with an insert , thereby causing back-mixing, which is a negative ef fect from the point of view of the ef ficiency of the chromatographic separation . As such back-mixing may remix the separated materials once again, thereby reducing the ef ficiency of separation . On the other part , during the separation process the two liquid phases should be in contact with each other over as great an area as possible in the interest of increasing the ef ficiency of surface material trans fer . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention placed in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell l ( see figures 1 and 2 ) reduces the negative ef fect caused by the back-mixing mentioned above . In addition to back- mixing, the negative ef fect caused by the Coriolis force in a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell without an insert or without the cell wall structure according to the present invention means that the flow of material is diverted towards the wall of the extraction cell where the surface of the liquid coming into contact with the wall of the extraction cell does not come into contact with the other liquid phase , thereby the magnitude of the material transfer surface between the two liquid phases is reduced, the direct consequence of which is the reduction of the ef ficiency of chromatographic separation . In chromatography the magnitude of the material trans fer surface is in direct proportion with the ef ficiency of separation . In other words , i f the si ze of the material trans fer surface is suf ficiently increased within the cell , then fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells , or a smaller extraction cell volume is suf ficient in order to achieve the same separation ef ficiency . The use of fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell s is preferable because then the drop in pressure in the rotor of the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus is reduced .

Overall it may be stated that with the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention, the use and manufacture of a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus becomes faster and more cost-ef ficient , as the bores and ribbing required for the production may be more easily created . In addition, the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 may be linearly upscaled whilst retaining the proportions , as may the extraction cells containing such pieces , in other words the amount of the mixture of materials to be separated exceeds the gram level , in other words they are also suitable for separating mixtures of a greater mass than at the gram level .

On the basis of our investigations , the conclusion drawn was that the number of sawtooth-like pieces of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure according to the invention is at least 2 , a maximum of 8 , and preferably 6 . The reason for this is that this is the number of pieces with which the ef ficiency of separation may be maximised whilst maintaining the other parameters the same . The number of sawtooth-like pieces 6 was determined by simulation . Experimentally, it may be determined that the use of more than eight sawtooth-like pieces no longer signi ficantly improves the ef ficiency of separation, and above this the ef ficiency display more of a downwards tendency . Increasing the number of sawtooth-like pieces by 50% , i . e . increasing the number of sawtooth-like pieces 6 from four to six, resulted in a 16% increase in interface .

The ef fect of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 signi ficantly di f fers from the ef fect of the roughening of the cell wall as a consequence of the structure of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 . A signi ficant advantage of the extraction cell according to the present invention compared to cells without an insert is that as a result of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 the mobile phase in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 is forced to the side of the extraction cell that had been filled with stationary phase until that point in time . In other words , compared to an unfilled cell , which had been filled mainly with stationary phase until that point , which did not take part in the separation, with the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 more than 80% of the interior volume of the extraction cell suitable for extraction was actually used . As a consequence of this a material flow two or three times in magnitude can be achieved compared to unfilled extraction cells , in other words the load capacity of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention is greater than that of the solutions according to the state of the art , in other words it is more productive .

The sawtooth-like pieces 6 constituting the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 are triangle-based prisms where the side of the prism that corresponds to the base of the triangle is located in one plane in the case of all the sawtooth-like pieces , thereby forming one flat side of the cell wall formed by the sawtoothlike pieces ( see figures 1 and 2 ) .

According to another preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 , the sawtooth-like pieces 6 are triangle-based prisms where the angle between the base of the triangle and one of its sides is between 40 ° and 80 ° , preferably 47 . 54 ° . The angle between the base of the triangle and its edges depends on the dimensions of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 and the number of sawtooth-like pieces 6 . The reason for this is that , as is obvious for a person skilled in the art , the greater the number of pieces that are formed in the cell wall , the more acute is the angle of the triangle of the prisms . According to another preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention, the sawtooth-like prisms 6 constituting the extraction cell wall structure are trianglebased prisms where the height of the prism is between 160 mm and 200 mm, preferably 185 mm .

It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the si ze of the common contact surface with the cell wall depends on the geometry of the sawtooth-like piece 6 . I f the sawtooth-like piece 6 is in contact with the cell wall on the side corresponding to the base of the triangle , then the si ze of the contact interface is greater than i f they were in contact along the shorter ( shortest ) of the base of the triangle . On the basis of figure 2 , it may also be clearly seen that the sawtooth-like pieces 6 rest up against the wall of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 . According to an embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 that is even more preferable than the previous embodiment , the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 is in contact with one third of the entire surface of the wall of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 . The latter is possible in the case that the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 is formed by sawtooth-like pieces 6 that are regular triangle based prisms . It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that with the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 , the internal surface of the wall of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 increases in si ze , thereby the material trans fer interface in the cell also increases . The obj ect of the present invention also relates to a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 the internal structure of which is in the shape of a horse racing track shaped prism, where the base of the horse racing track shaped prism is such that the ratio of its maj or axis and minor axis is at least 3 : 1 , even more preferably its maj or axis is 180 mm, and its minor axis is 50 mm, furthermore , which cell contains the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention on one of the two flat sides of the cell , with the flat side of the structure resting upon it . Figure 5 shows that the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 contains a lower cap 7a and an upper cap 7b, which enclose a housing 8 ( the external covering of the horse racing track shaped cylinder cavity 2 ) . It should be noted that this housing 8 , i . e . the external covering of the extraction cell , may di f fer from the shape of a horse racing track shaped prism, it may also be in the shape of a rectangular-based prism ( see figures 4 and 5 ) . The rectangular-based prism shaped housing 8 may be preferable in the case of numerical flow simulation analysis , and it is also ideal in the case of the production of test cells i f the raw material is a plate or stretched prism . In figure 5 the lower cap 7a contains an outlet pipe end 3 and the upper cap 7b contains an inlet pipe end 4 . In the context of the present speci fication the maj or axis 9a of the horse racing track shaped lower cap 7a and upper cap 7b is the longer axis of reflection and the minor axis 9b is the shorter axis of reflection of the shape , which are also indicated in figure 3 . It should be noted that the lengths of the maj or axis 9a and the minor axis 9b of the lower cap 7a and the upper cap 7b are identical to the lengths of the maj or and minor axes of the base of the horse racing track shaped prism . According to a preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , the length of the maj or axis 9a of the horse racing track shaped extraction cell , in top view, is 180 mm and the length of the minor axis 9b is 50 mm, in other words the stipulation that the ratio of the lengths of the main axis 9a and the minor axis 9b is at least 3 : 1 is ful filled . The aforementioned centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 is positioned in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 in such a way that it is located on one of the longer straight sides of the two parallel sides of the horse racing track shaped base ( an example of this is shown in figure 4 marked with reference sign 10 , a longer straight side of the horse racing track shaped body, for the sake of simplicity the cell wall structure has not been depicted) , but not including the curved sides of the horse racing track shaped centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 .

Comparing the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 to the internal surface of an empty cell it may be stated that with the use of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 as cell wall structure the material trans fer interface in the cell may be increased . On the basis of preliminary model experiments the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , as a result of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 located in it , increased the si ze of the phase interface by 35-70% compared to the si ze of the phase interface of an extraction cell without any insert , respectively without the extraction cell wall structure . With the addition that the si ze of the phase interface measured in an extraction cell without any insert or cell wall structure is taken as 100% , where the solvent system used was ethyl acetate - water . It was experimentally determined that i f the number of sawtooth-like pieces 6 is increased from four to six ( for this the basis used was two sample extraction cells 10 mm in diameter and 32 mm in length) , then increasing the number of saw-teeth by two , this increases the interface of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 by 16% . It may be concluded from this that the liquid-liquid interface that may be obtained by using more than eight saw-teeth as cell wall structure does not provide such a proportionally greater increase , and thereby increasing the number of saw-teeth would not result in a signi ficant improvement in separation ef ficiency .

In the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , preferably the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 constitutes at least 68 % of the top-view cross-section of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 without such cell wall structure , and/or constitutes 90% of it at the most . Thereby the use of the cell wall structure signi ficantly reduces the internal volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention compared to that of cells without any insert or cell wall structure . In the present case the top-view cross-section of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell is understood to mean the cross-section perpendicular to the direction as viewed from the lower cap 7a and the upper cap 7b of the interior of the cell , i . e . the horse racing shaped prism . In the context of the present invention the concept of top-view cross-section is understood for an "empty" cell without the cell wall structure containing the sawtooth-like elements according to the present invention . The reason for this is that this interpretation makes it possible to define the amount of the cell volume 1 occupied by the pieces compared to the top-view cross-section . As we explained in detail further up, the volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 was reduced by the part of the volume that did not otherwise take part in the separation . According to another preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention, the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 constitutes up to 90% of the volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 . As it may be clearly seen from the above , the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 constitutes a signi ficant part of the extraction cell according to the invention, however it does not block the path of the material flow in the extraction cell .

According to another preferable embodiment of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention, at least one of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 extends beyond the cell centreline 11 , parallel to the longitudinal edge of the pieces , understood without the cell wall structure , the extent of which extension compared to the cell centreline 11 may be as much as 80- 90% of the distance between the cell centreline 11 and the opposite cell wall ( see figure 2 ) . This is illustrated clearly in figure 2 , where the tips of the triangular shaped sawtooth-like pieces 6 ( as viewed from the side ) extend beyond the cell centreline 11 and it is obvious for a person skilled in the art based on figure 2 that the longitudinal edges of the sawtooth-like pieces 6 are parallel to that centreline of the extraction cell that is perpendicular to the resultant flow direction of the mobile phase , with respect to the status during operation . The volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention without any insert or cell wall structure is at least 1 . 5 ml , and/or up to 1 . 3 1 . For example , centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 with a cell volume of 1 . 5 ml serve for the separation of samples in the order of a gram . As mentioned further up, the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 may be linearly upscaled with the proportions maintained, as may the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 containing such a piece . Furthermore , the volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention is a maximum of 1 . 3 1 . The volume of 1 . 3 1 may make it possible to separate mixtures with a mass in the tonnes by connecting the appropriate number of cells and, optionally, a rotor in series .

The obj ect of the present invention also relates to a rotor for centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus which contains the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 according to the present invention . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 located on the rotor are connected to each other in series . The extraction cells are arranged on the rotor of the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus so that they rotate around the axis of the rotor when the rotor is rotating . The series of cells are positioned on the rotor in a circular shape , and by rotating the rotor the appropriate material trans fer between the phases is achieved . As a consequence of the rotation tangential force is created in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells , due to the ef fect of which the flow of mobile phase entering the extraction cell is diverted . As a result of this the droplets of the mobile phase are forced up to the side wall of the cell in the case of cells not containing any insert or cell wall structure , thereby the si ze of their contact interface created with the stationary phase is reduced . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention signi ficantly reduces this unfavourable ef fect , as the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 does not permit the mobile phase to flow along the extraction cell wall , instead it diverts it back in the direction of the opposite wall , thereby increasing the si ze of the interface between the stationary and mobile phases . In addition to the above , from the aspect of separation, the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 reduces the amount of unused volume of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 , in other words , as a result of the cell wall structure the proportion of the actually used cell volume increases , and the degree of use of the individual cells may be as much as over 80% , in other words , due to this the ef ficiency of separation also increases .

The number of centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 on the rotor containing centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 is preferably between 30 and 100 , where the total height of the column is between 2 . 5 m and 4 . 1 m . It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the higher the number of centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells and thereby the total height of the column, the better the separation ef ficiency, or the more ef ficient the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells that are used are , the fewer extraction cells are required . A minimum of 30 centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells are recommended to be arranged on a rotor . At the same time there is an upper limit to the increase in the number of extraction cells , which upper limit may be determined empirically . One reason for the upper limit is that more extraction cells means more tubes that connect them together causing a loss of pressure , which would result in greater operating pressure and a lower load capacity . A rotor with more than 100 extraction cells does not involve a signi ficant increase the ef ficiency of chromatographic separation, however this would make the setting up of the rotor exceptionally di f ficult and its costs would rise signi ficantly .

The obj ect of the present invention also relates to the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus , which contains one or more rotors according to the present invention, in other words rotors that contain the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 according to the present invention connected in series .

During the method for the production of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 that may be used in the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus according to the present invention, the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 according to the present invention is positioned or created inside the extraction cell . Creation in this case is understood to mean that the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure is formed in an irreversibly fixed way in the extraction cell when the extraction cell is produced (using 3D printing, for example ) . In this case positioning is understood to mean that there is the possibility to position the sawtooth-like pieces 6 or the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 in a removable ( reversible ) way .

The invention is disclosed in the following in connection with examples . Example 1: the separation of a mixture of ethylparaben and methylparaben using centrifugal partition chromatography in a centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus containing the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 according to the invention

A 100 pg mixture containing ethylparaben and methylparaben was separated, in which the ratio of ethylparaben and methylparaben was 50-50 mass! (Sigma-Aldrich, methylparaben CAS: 99-76-3; Sigma-Aldrich, ethylparaben CAS: 120-47-8) . The mixture of ethylparaben and methylparaben was dissolved in 50 pl of stationary phase of a solvent mixture in equilibrium (for composition see below) for injection.

The parameters of the centrifugal partition chromatography separation were as follows:

The ratios of the composition of the solvent mixture in equilibrium are the following (please note that the solvent mixture was brought into equilibrium by shaking the stationary and mobile phases together) : hexane: 135; ethyl acetate: 15; acetonitrile: 60; water: 240; phosphoric acid: 0.1.

Stationary phase retention during the chromatographic separation: 91%.

Centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus mode of operation: descending.

Speed of rotation of the rotor of the centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus: 1000 rpm. Flow rate used in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction apparatus : 1 ml/min .

Operating pressure in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction apparatus : 25 bar .

Number of centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells : 80 .

Dimensions of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell , centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell diameter : 4 mm,

Centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell length : 40 mm,

Number of sawtooth-like pieces of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure : 8

Temperature during the chromatographic separation : room temperature .

The above separation was also previously performed in the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus containing the tube-structure extraction cells disclosed in patent application number EP3204136A1 . During the comparison the above parameters were the same , the two centri fugal partition chromatography extraction apparatuses di f fered in terms of the insert in the extraction cells , in terms of the cell wall structure and the shape of the extraction cell . The result of the comparison tests can be seen in figure 6 , accordingly the separation of the components of the mixture containing ethylparaben and methylparaben was the best in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction apparatus containing the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure , which is also supported by the numerical data , see the data in table 1 :

Table 1

It may be clearly seen from the data in the table that the yield of both the ethylparaben and the methylparaben was better by nearly 4 % in the case of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction apparatus according to the present invention, which contains centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells containing the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure .

Example 2- simulation

Using simulation, we compared an empty, cylindrical extraction cell with the extraction cell according to the present invention .

The parameters of the simulation were as follows :

Reference measurement : with cylindrically shaped extraction cell without insert or cell wall structure .

Centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell diameter : 1 . 75 mm .

Centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell length : 36 mm .

Solvent mixture at equilibrium : ethyl acetate / water Centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus mode of operation : ascending . Speed of rotation of the rotor of the centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus: 1200 rpm.

Flow rate used in the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction apparatus: 2 ml/min.

Specific interface surface area of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell: 344 m²/m³ (100%) .

Measurement with a horse racing track-shaped centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell containing the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure :

Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell major axis: 14 mm. with centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell: Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell minor axis: 3 mm.

Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell length: 14 mm.

Number of sawtooth-like pieces: 4.

Solvent mixture at equilibrium: ethyl acetate / water.

Centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus mode of operation: ascending.

Speed of rotation of the rotor of the centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus: 1200 rpm.

Specific interface surface area of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell: 441 m²/m³ (128%) .

Measurement with a horse racing track-shaped centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell containing the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell major axis: 14 mm. with centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell: Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell minor axis: 3 mm.

Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell length: 14 mm.

Number of sawtooth-like pieces: 6.

Solvent mixture at equilibrium: ethyl acetate / water. Centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus mode of operation: ascending.

Specific interface surface area of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell: 471 m²/m³ (137%) .

In other words, on the basis of the simulation presented in the above example 2 it may be clearly seen that the size of the specific interface surface area is increased by 28-37% if the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure is used during the separation in the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell instead of the tube structure cell, which ratio may be further increased by increasing the number of sawtooth-like pieces.

The maximum pressure capacity of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 according to the invention is approximately 150 bar, in other words they are pressureresistant. This is due, on the one part, to the fact that the individual components are fitted to each other using a thermal treatment process, and, on the other part, the resistance to pressure is also contributed to by the fact that the si ze of the speci fic interface surface area was increased inside the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 (with sawtooth-like pieces 6 ) , and this results in that fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 result in ef ficient separation too , in other words the fewer centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 result in a lower drop in pressure .

Compared to the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells belonging to the state of the art , in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cells 1 according to the invention there is no need for a component at the input part of the extraction cells serving for distribution of the liquid flow and at the outlet part of the extraction cell for the collection of the liquid flow . In other words , overall the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention consists of fewer components and due to the above the apparatus consists of fewer extraction cells , therefore the structure of the centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus is simpler , thereby its manufacture will be faster and more costef ficient .

The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention does not contain components at the input part of the extraction cells serving for distribution of the liquid flow and at the outlet part of the extraction cell for the collection of the liquid flow, the cell itsel f is symmetrical , in other words it may be operated in both ascending and descending modes without refitting, thereby reducing the duration ( down-time ) between separation operations and improving productivity .

The use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 located in the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the invention is preferable because it prevents the diversion of the material flow caused by tangential force in the direction of the cell walls ; due to its design it increases the si ze of the material trans fer surface in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 ; it prevents the back-mixing caused by turbulent flow within the extraction cell , in other words as a result of the use of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 the ef ficiency of chromatographic separation increases .

An important advantage of the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 used in the centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell 1 according to the present invention is that the piece remains stable even when af fected by centripetal force , its li fetime is longer, and, in addition, it is easy to clean . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 may be clearly geometrically defined and designed, and due to this its ef fect can also be clearly defined and measured . The centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 re-atomises the larger si zed droplets coagulating during the separation process and, due to its structure , it increases the length of the path taken by the sample during separation, thereby increasing the si ze of the speci fic interface between the liquid phases . Furthermore , an advantage of a centri fugal partition chromatography apparatus with such a centri fugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure 5 is that it may be easily upscaled and the scaling of production is simpler . The ratio of stationary and mobile phases formed in the centri fugal partition chromatography cells 1 according to the present invention is at least 80% , in addition the greater the si ze of the speci fic interface between the stationary and mobile phases , the more efficient the separation. This objective may be also achieved with the use of extraction cells that contain sawtooth-like pieces 6 as extraction cell wall structure.

Claims

1. Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) , where the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell has at least two flat walls, characterised by that i) the cell wall structure contains prism-shaped sawtoothlike pieces (6) , which are preferably triangle-based prism- shaped, ii) the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) contains at least two sawtoothlike pieces (6) , and iii) the individual sawtooth-like pieces (6) are positioned parallel to each other along one of the two flat sides of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell.

2. The centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to claim 1, characterised by that the number of sawtooth-like pieces (6) on it is at least 2, at the most 8, preferably 6.

3. The centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 2, characterised by that the sawtooth-like pieces (6) are triangular-based prisms where the side of the prism that corresponds to the triangle base is located in one plane in the case of all the sawtooth-like pieces (6) , thereby forming one flat side of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall

4. The centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to claim 3, characterised by that the sawtooth-like pieces (6) are triangular-based prisms where the angle between the base of the triangle and one of its edges is between 40° and 80°, preferably 47.54°.

5. The centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised by that the sawtooth-like pieces (6) are triangular-based prisms where the height of the prism is between 160 mm and 200 mm, preferably 185 mm.

6. Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) , characterised by that it contains the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 5, and the internal structure of which is in the shape of a horse racing track shaped prism, where the base of the horse racing track shaped prism is preferably formed so that the ratio of its major axis (9a) and minor axis (9b) is at least 3:1, even more preferably its major axis (9a) is 180 mm, and its minor axis (9b) is 50 mm, furthermore, which cell contains the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 5 on one of the two flat sides of the cell.

7. Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) according to claim 6, characterised by that the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 5 constitutes at least 68% of the top-view cross-section of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) without such cell wall structure (5) , and/or constitutes 90% of it at the most.

8. Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) according to any of claims 6 to 7, characterised by that at least one of the sawtooth-like pieces (6) of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 5 extends beyond the cell centreline (11) , parallel to the longitudinal edge of the pieces, understood without the cell wall structure (5) .

9. Centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) according to any of claims 6 to 8, characterised by that its volume without the cell wall structure is at least 1.5 ml, and/or up to 1.3 1.

10. Rotor for centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus, characterised by that it contains the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cells (1) according to any of claims 6 to 9.

11. Rotor for centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus according to claim 10, characterised by that the number of centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cells (1) per rotor is between 30 and 100, where the total length of the column is between 2.5 and 4.1 m.

12. Centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus, characterised by that it contains one or more rotors according to claims 10 or 11.

13. Method for the production of the centrifugal partition chromatography extraction cell (1) used in centrifugal partition chromatography apparatus, characterised by that the centrifugal partition chromatography cell wall structure (5) according to any of claims 1 to 5 is placed into the inside of the extraction cell or is formed in it.