Rotor for fast analyzer of rotary cuvette type

Claim 1

An improved rotor for a fast analyzer of the rotary cuvette type characterized by efficient premixing of sample and reactant liquids prior to their being discharged into sample analysis cuvettes for photometric analysis, the improved rotor comprising a generally disk-shaped member defining: a. a circular array of sample analysis cuvettes for accepting mixtures of liquid samples and reactants, said disk-shaped member having transparent walls above and below said sample analysis cuvettes; b. an inner array of static loading cavities equal in number and disposed centripetal to said sample analysis cuvettes, the centrifugal walls of said cavities in said inner array of cavities extending downwardly and outwardly; c. an outer array of static loading cavities equal in number and disposed radially intermediate said sample analysis cuvettes and said cavities in said inner array of static loading cavities, the centrifugal walls of said cavities in said outer array of cavities extending upwardly and outwardly with a steep inclination selected to retain liquids in said cavities at preselected low rotor rotational speeds; d. capillary-sized passages extending between respective cavities in said inner and outer arrays of cavities, said passages being sized to prevent flow between said cavities under static conditions while permitting flow from cavities in said inner array of cavities to cavities in said outer array of cavities at preselected low rotational speeds; and e. connecting passages extending between respective cavities in said outer array of cavities and said sample analysis cuvettes.