Rapid kinetics stopped-flow and related techniques
Often considered the go-to instrument type for rapid kinetics, Stopped flow has been popular in kinetics laboratories for decades.
It has been the main choice for stopped-flow because experiments are relatively easy to set-up and complete kinetics can be obtained from a single experiment. Originally confined to fluorescence and absorbance changes, the stopped-flow technique can now be used with a large range of detection techniques such as circular dichroism X-ray and neutron scattering, providing increasingly more insights about reaction mechanisms and the structure and the environment of the sample.
However, alternative and complementary approaches to stopped-flow may be required when direct-optical coupling is not possible or when users wish to really capture reactions intermediates. This process is commonly called quenching and can be achieved using temperature, optical flashes or by simply mixing with a third solution. This corresponds to freeze quench, optical quench and chemical quench-flow systems.
Fields of application for stopped-flow
Over the years, stopped-flow and quench-flow have found their place in many fields of applications. Thanks to the low-temperature operation and their capability to withstand organic solvents they are used in inorganic chemistry to identify reaction intermediates. Stopped-flow is also extensively used in biochemistry to study protein stability or conformation changes. The possibility of changing mixing conditions being a key factor; concentration series can be carried out automatically. In fact, the potential applications for stopped-flow and associated techniques are endless.
Researchers are constantly looking for modular systems, so their instrument is not limited to a single task and can grow with their research. Bio-Logic instruments are based around a modular design ensuring that they are to future-proof. They are instruments that will withstand the tests of time, the rigors of the laboratory and the ever-increasing demands of your research.
A complete range of rapid kinetics solutions
The premium stopped-flow family (SFM) lies at the heart of our rapid kinetics instrumentation range. Based on independent stepping motor technology, SFM has been designed to deliver the shortest possible dead time and the highest precision, to minimize sample consumption and to accommodate the largest range of detectors. The SFM-2000/3000/4000 stopped-flow series is available for single, double or triple mixing applications. Recognized for its versatility, the SFM is not only a stopped-flow and can convert to a freeze quench, to a cryo stopped-flow, or to a chemical quench-flow system in minutes.
Microvolume solutions
For applications where sample cost is the primary concern, Bio-Logic has developed stopped-flow and quench-flow solutions that require just 10µl of solution per experiment. With a µSFM or QFM-4000, a complete series of experiments can be carried out with a 100 µl stock in a vial, saving precious time and samples without compromising on sensitivity.
5 reasons to choose a SFM series
stopped-flow & Quench flow Spectroscopy solutions for life sciences
Wide product range: Circular Dichroism (CD), High throughput CD Microplate spectropolarimeters and pump-probe spectrometers
Constant innovation in the field of optical spectroscopy is necessary to constantly break down scientific barriers and advance research programs. This is especially important in the field of Lifesciences where high-performance, high-precision, and high-speed spectrometers are essential. As a leader in this field, BioLogic has over 30 years of experience in developing equipment designed to give researchers a cutting-edge. Originally dedicated to rapid kinetics measurements, BioLogic now also develops, integrates, and manufactures a wide range of instrumentation for steady-state spectroscopy including spectropolarimeters.
Circular Dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) has become one of the major steady-state spectroscopy techniques. Mostly reserved to R&D and protein structural studies in the past it has now found use in new applications from far-UV to NIR fields in organic chemistry and in the pharmaceutical industry. CD is now recognized as an important tool for the identification of leads in drug discovery and as such, is a much faster alternative than HPLC for the identification of enantiomers.
Industry has placed new demands for high-throughput analyzers offering sensitivity and high-speed measurements. BioLogic offers solutions for traditional research-grade spectropolarimeter but also for screening, with the first CD microplate able to read thousands of wells per hour.
Rapid kinetics spectrometers
Spectrometers optimized for rapid kinetics are often associated with stopped-flow systems, a technique where two, three, or four solutions are mixed together. Researchers need to continuously follow the evolution of reactions in the mixing chamber at a millisecond timescale in order to understand the reaction mechanism or the structural properties of samples. They, therefore, need fast, accurate and high signal-to-noise detectors optimized for these demanding applications. BioLogic offers a wide range of optical solutions for these fast measurements: fluorescence, absorbance, light scattering, and polarization techniques such as circular dichroism and anisotropy. This need for fast and ultra-sensitive detectors is enhanced when studying photosynthesis antennas directly on leaves or algae, as the changes of the signal are microscopic. For such applications, the pump-probe spectroscopy approach should be the technique of choice.
The MOS Range of spectrometers: MOS200-MOS200M, MOS-500, MOS-DAD, MCS-200
A leader in the field of Rapid Kinetics, BioLogic has over 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art measurement instruments. With its origins born out of rapid kinetics instrument design and manufacture, BioLogic now also develops, integrates, and manufactures a wide range of instrumentation for steady-state spectroscopy including spectropolarimeters.
The MOS product range is made up of four key instruments:
- MOS-200, MOS-200M Dual absorbance fluorescence spectrometer for rapid kinetics
- MOS-500 Circular dichroism spectrometer
- MOS-DAD Fast diode array spectrometer
- MCS-200 (a fast conductimeter used as a stopped-flow detector)