APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING MASS TRANSFER AND SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 MAINLY NON-MIXABLE LIQUID PHASES AND AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR EXECUTING MASS TRANSFER FROM ONE OR MORE COMPONENTS FROM A PHASE TO A DIFFERENT BY SIMILAR PHASE PHASES.

摘要

The present invention relates to a new technique and device for mass transfer of one or more components from one liquid phase to another liquid phase, involving a physical separation of said two phases. According to the new technique, the mass transfer and physical separation are carried out in the same device. The device consists of a mixing-reservoir into which is fitted snugly a mixer-separator, having a channel in the vertical axis of the mixer-separator. The two substantially immiscible liquid solutions are introduced into the mixing reservoir, the phases are thoroughly mixed, by moving the mixer-separator in and out the mixing reservoir. After the spontaneous separation into an upper and lower phase, the upper phase is removed by pushing in the mixer-separator said upper phase being accumulated in a collecting container. The new technique and device can be successfully utilized in the general field of liquid-liquid extraction and particularly applied in immunoassays, where the two basic operations of mass transfer and physical separation of fractions are required.