| abstract |
The invention is a method of combining chemical reagents and comprises the steps of: 1) Dispensing the reagents into a conduit system in the form of discrete volumes or droplets separated from each other by an inert immiscible liquid, and 2) Moving the inert liquid and discrete droplets in such a manner that predetermined discrete volumes coalesce with each other, thereby combining the reagents. The preferred apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a plastic block (2) with indentations (3) which is clamped against a glass plate (4) forming closed conduits which are connected to reservoirs of light mineral oil, or silicon oil, by thin tubing (9) and valves (10). All the conduits are initially filled with the oil, then the second and fourth tubes are used to introduce two reagents, which are separated into two smaller volumes at the 'T' junctions then these smaller volumes are merged at the 'Y' junction by withdrawing oil from the center conduit. <IMAGE> |