KinTek Stopped-Flow and Quench-Flow Methods
KinTek Corporation's instruments are all designed to provide the researcher excellent results in transient state kinetic experiments. KinTek Corporation builds instruments that utilize three main methods: Stopped-Flow, Chemical Quench-Flow, and Optical Photolysis.
The Optical Photolysis Method
The technique of optical photolysis is fairly simple and is summarized in this simple diagram. This instrument has similar properties to both the stopped-flow and the quench-flow. In our RPL-3 Rapid Optical Photolysis Chamber the reactants are forced by a drive motor into an optical flow cell where they irradiated from a light source. This source can be almost anything. We have built photolysis chambers utilizing many light sources, including flash lamps, lasers and even synchrotron radiation! The timing of the reactions is achieved by using the computer controlled servo motor in push-pause-push mode as described for the Quench-Flow. The computer first pushes the drive syringes, which mixes the reactants and fills the optical flow cell with mixed solution. Once the optical flow cell is filled the motor pauses for a predetermined amount of time and then triggers the light source, which then irradiates the flow cell. After the flow cell has been irradiated the motor pushes again and either clears the reactants completely from the instrument for collection, or optionally it mixes the irradiated samples with a third solution for further reaction followed by collection. The amount of time the third solution reacts with the irradiated solution is controlled in the same fashion as the second mixing of a double mixing experiment in the RQF-3 above. Our RPL-3 Rapid Optical Photolysis Chamber is based on our world leading Quench-Flow and mounts to the same drive system. This allows the customer to have both a RQF-3 Rapid Quench-Flow and a RPL-3 Rapid Photolysis Chamber at a very affordable price.
