Three-electrode buffer generator and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10208387-B2
Application number	US-201715415700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Aug 23, 2011
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An electrodialytic buffer generator is described. The buffer generator may include a central buffer-generating channel having an inlet and outlet, a second chamber, and a third chamber. The buffer-generating channel, the second chamber, and the third chamber may each include an electrode. The buffer generator may also include a first ion exchange barrier and a second ion exchange barrier. The first ion exchange barrier can be disposed between the second chamber and the buffer-generating channel. The second ion exchange barrier can be disposed between the third chamber and the buffer-generating channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrodialytic method of generating a buffer using an electrodialytic buffer generator comprising a flow-through central buffer-generating channel comprising a first electrode, having an inlet and an outlet; a second chamber comprising a second electrode and a second aqueous liquid; a third chamber comprising a third electrode and a third aqueous liquid; a cation exchange barrier, capable of passing cations but not anions and of blocking bulk liquid flow, disposed between said second chamber and said buffer-generating channel; an anion exchange barrier, capable of passing anions but not cations and of blocking bulk liquid flow, disposed between said third chamber and said buffer-generating channel; said method comprising:
(a) flowing a first aqueous liquid into said flow-through central buffer-generating channel, where at least one of said first, second, or third aqueous liquids comprises an aqueous electrolyte solution that includes anions or cations, or both;
(b) passing a first current between said first and second electrodes; and
(c) passing a second current between said first and third electrodes, whereby a buffer solution is generated in said buffer-generating channel.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said first current is greater than said second current.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said second current is greater than said first current.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said aqueous electrolyte solution comprises a strong base salt of a multiprotic acid.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said aqueous electrolyte solution comprises a strong acid salt of a multiprotic base.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: introducing said aqueous electrolyte solution into an inlet of at least one of said second or third chambers.

7. The method of claim 1 in which said first aqueous liquid is a deionized water.

8. The method of claim 1 in which said first aqueous liquid comprises an electrolyte solution that flows into said buffer-generating channel.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising: introducing said second aqueous liquid into an inlet of said second chamber, in which said second aqueous liquid is a deionized water.

10. The method of claim 1 in which said first electrode is grounded.

11. The method of claim 1 in which said second and third electrodes are grounded.

12. The method of claim 1 in which said aqueous electrolyte solution flows through said second and third chambers, where each chamber includes an inlet and an outlet.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(d) outputting said buffer from said buffer-generating channel with a modified pH by changing a magnitude of said first current.

14. The method of claim 13 in which said modified pH includes a gradient pH where the first current is changed as a function of time, said method further comprising:
(e) holding said second current to be approximately constant as a function of time causing said outputted buffer to have an approximately constant total buffer concentration.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(d) outputting said buffer from said buffer-generating channel with a modified buffer concentration by changing a magnitude of said second current.

16. The method of claim 15 in which said modified buffer concentration includes a gradient buffer concentration where the second current is changed as a function of time.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(d) degassing said generated buffer solution with a gas removal device.

Assignees

• Univ Texas
• Dionex Corp

Inventors

• Dasgupta Purnendu K
• Chen Yongjing
• Srinivasan Kannan

Classifications

• B01D61/445

  with bipolar membranes; Water splitting · CPC title

• B01D15/168

  pH gradient or chromatofocusing, i.e. separation according to the isoelectric point pI · CPC title

• B01D61/44

  Ion-selective electrodialysis · CPC title

• B01D2311/18

  pH control · CPC title

• C25B7/00 Primary

  Electrophoretic production of compounds or non-metals (separation or purification of peptides, e.g. of proteins, by electrophoresis C07K1/26) · CPC title