Development of a multipurpose optical system for use with a Centrifugal Fast Analyzer

A Centrifugal Fast Analyzer is basically a sophisticated photometric measuring device containing a multicuvet rotor as its major component. Several reactions are si-multaneously initiated in the rotor, which is then rotated through a stationary optical monitor and the resulting signals acquired and processed by an on-line data sys-tem. With the miniature version of this analyzer, one has the option of directing the incident optical beam, via a fiber optical bundle, into the cuvets of the spinning rotor in either a 900 or a 1800 orientation relative to the analyzer’s photodetector. The combination of newly de-signed rotors and a flexible optical system having multi-ple configurations has provided a versatile system in which one can measure the transmittance, fluores-cence, chemiluminescence, or light-scattering (either turbidimetrically or nephelometrically) properties of the ensuing reaction species, all with a single analyzer. This flexibility in choosing the optical mode in which a partic-ular set of reactions is to be monitored provides the an-alyst with a powerful and versatile analytical tool for de-veloping new methods for use in various clinical labora-tory applications, including chemistry, toxicology, immu-nology, and hematology. AddftlonalKeyphrases: multiple rotor designs #{149}analytical versatility #{149}spectrophotometer #{149}spectrofluorometer nephelometer #{149}turbidimetric measurements #{149}chemilu-minescence #{149}fiber optics Basically, a centrifugal analyzer is a photometric instrument that incorporates a rotating multicuvet assembly with a stationary optical detector and on-line data processing facilities (1, 2). The unique com-bination of centrifugal force and a stable, drift-free optical system results in an instrument with several interesting and advantageous features (3, 4)