Apparatus and methods for multidimensional chromatography analysis

Abstract

A multidimensional chromatographic assembly includes a chromatographic medium selector module, which receives a sample from an injector module and moves the sample through one of at least two chromatographic media of a chromatographic medium module using at least one eluent from at least one fluid moving module. At least a portion of the sample is re-circulated through the same or the second chromatographic medium using a multi-configuration fluid diverting module, which isolates a selected portion of the chromatographed eluent containing at least a portion of the sample in at least one fluid holding compartment and later moves the isolated portion through one of the chromatographic media in an iterative manner until all attributes of the isolated portion in question are analyzed. A detector module, which is located between the chromatographic medium selector module and the fluid diverting module, acquires data each time a portion of the sample passes through the detector module and provides data for a multidimensional chromatogram. The configurable portion (the rotor) of the fluid diverting module comprises movable flow-paths with two termini, which lie on a circular perimeter, concentric to the axis of rotation of the rotor, on the interfacial plane where the rotor meets the stationary portion of the fluid diverting module (the stator), and a connecting coplanar groove, spatial disposition of which is either concave or convex to the circular perimeter with only the termini intercepting the perimeter. The entire assembly is controlled by a controller, which receives data from the detector module and sends instructions to all modules during the multidimensional analysis with or without human intervention.