CA2574107A1 - Heat exchanging, optically interrogated chemical reaction assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An assembly for performing controlled heat exchanging reactions is provided.
The assembly has a chemical reaction chamber adapted to receive a sample and allow the sample to chemically react; a thermal sleeve having heating elements for making efficient thermal contact with a reaction chamber; an instrument with a housing comprising an electrical connection, a cooling source, a processing area adapted to receive a thermal sleeve, and an optics assembly in optical communication with a chemical reaction chamber; and a circuit for monitoring and controlling the optics assembly and for collecting the output signal of the optics assembly. Preferably there are a plurality of housings and associated modules, each of which may be independently controlled for heat exchanging operations.

Claims (13)

1. A reaction vessel for holding a sample for heat-exchanging chemical process, the reaction vessel comprising:
a) two opposing major walls;
b) a plurality of minor walls joining the major walls to each other to form a chamber having an angled bottom portion; and c) a port for introducing the sample into the chamber; wherein the ratio of the thermal conductance of the major walls to that of the minor walls is at least

2:1, and wherein the minor walls forming the angled bottom portion of the chamber are optically transmissive to permit optical excitation of the sample through a first one of the minor walls and optical detection through a second one of the minor walls.

2. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the walls are offset about 90° from each other.

3. The vessel of claim 1 or 2, wherein a portion of the frame defining the chamber includes retro-reflective walls for reflecting light transmitted from the chamber.

4. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the chamber is substantially diamondshaped, and wherein the optically transmissive walls define the bottom portion of the chamber and the retro-reflective walls define the top portion of the chamber.

5. The reaction vessel of Claim 1 wherein the minor walls forming the bottom portion of the chamber are angularly offset about 90° from each other.

6. The reaction vessel of Claim 1 wherein the bottom portion of the chamber is V-shaped.

7. The reaction vessel of Claim 1 further comprising an optical element on at least one of the minor walls forming the bottom portion of the chamber.

8. The reaction vessel of Claim 7 wherein the optical element comprises a lens molded into the surface of the minor wall.

9. The reaction vessel of Claim 7 wherein each of the minor walls forming the bottom portion of the chamber has at least one lens molded into its surface.

10. The reaction vessel of Claim 1 wherein the minor walls forming a top portion of the chamber are provided by a separate piece inserted into a main body of the reaction vessel.

11. The reaction vessel of Claim 10 wherein the inserted piece further defines the port and a channel connecting the port to the chamber.

12. A method for fabricating a reaction vessel, the method comprising the steps of:
a) molding a rigid frame, wherein the frame defines the perimeter of a reaction chamber, a port, and a channel connecting the port to the chamber; and b) sealing first and second thin, flexible structures to opposite sides of the rigid frame to form the sidewalk of the chamber.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of molding a cap for sealing the port, wherein the cap includes a portion which may be inserted into the channel to pressurize the chamber, thereby expanding the sidewalls.