APPARATUS FOR GROWING CRYSTALS OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC C30B29/58 C30B30/08 C30B35/00 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: today, the most promising direction in the field of growing crystals of biological macromolecules is crystallisation of biological preparations under spaceflight conditions, which can be performed during orbital flight at International Space Station. The apparatus for growing crystals of biological macromolecules has a crystallisation container 1 which has a housing 2 with a cover 3, inside the container 1 there is a capillary 5 with the sample of the macromolecular substance 6, a tubular element 4 filled with gel 7 and touching the capillary 5, which is placed such that the gel 7 can touch the sample of the macromolecular substance 6 inside the capillary 5, as sell as a precipitation agent. The capillary 5 is placed inside the tubular element 4, the cavity, which is not occupied by the capillary 5, of which is filled with gel 7, wherein the side of the capillary 5 opposite the cavity filled with gel 7 is plugged. The cover 3 of the container 1 is placed on the side of the plugged part of the capillary 5. In the body of the housing of the container 1, on the side opposite the cover 3, there is a through channel 10, the cavity of which is linked to the cavity of the tubular element 4 filled with gel 7. One of the outlet openings of the through channel 10 is connected through a hydraulic line to the discharge side of the pump, and the other opening is connected to the suction side of the pump with formation of a hermetically closed hydraulic loop. A precipitation agent is placed inside the discharge line, wherein between the precipitation agent and the gel 7, there is a gas space, and a displacement sensor for the precipitation agent is placed in the line for communication of the discharge side of the pump with the container before the cavity occupied by the precipitation agent. The device enables monitoring and completion of the process of crystallisation of biological macromolecules when conducting experiments in cosmic space directly after the spacecraft (especially unmanned) enters into orbit, and has a sufficiently rigid structure.

EFFECT: reliable protection of the capillary with the sample and crystals during vibrations of the spacecraft and in case of its rough landing.

9 cl, 4 dwg