Solubility measurement device

Abstract

To provide a solubility measurement device which offers improved solubility measurement accuracy and reduces container exchange work and maintenance costs.SOLUTION: A solubility measurement device 1 is provided, comprising a transparent cylindrical container 2 for accommodating a sample and a solvent, an irradiation unit 3 for irradiating the cylindrical container 2 with irradiation light, a detention unit 4 for detecting the irradiation light that has transmitted through the cylindrical container 2, an adjustment unit 6 for adjusting the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3 and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4, and a measurement unit 5 for measuring the solubility of the sample in the solvent on the basis of a spectrum of light detected by the detection unit 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a solubility measuring device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, such a technical field is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. The solubility measuring device described in Patent Document 1 is a device that includes a container in which a fluid (solvent) and a sample (solute) are placed, in which the sample is dissolved in the fluid and the solubility is measured, a supercritical condition generating means for making the fluid in the container supercritical, and a detection unit that is provided directly or indirectly on the container and measures the solubility information of the sample in the supercritical fluid in the container. In the solubility measuring device having such a configuration, a transparent container is used, the container is irradiated with irradiation light, the light transmitted through the container is detected, and the solubility of the sample is measured based on the spectrum of the detected light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-270126 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned solubility measuring device requires the use of a dedicated square bottle with a uniform wall thickness as a container, which causes the following problems. That is, since the square bottle has a vertical wall, when the vertical wall is irradiated with light, a part of the irradiated light is diffused, and a difference in refractive index occurs depending on the type of solvent, which affects the measurement accuracy of the solubility. In order to reduce the difference in refractive index caused by the type of solvent, it has been considered to apply a special surface treatment to the square bottle, but the difference in refractive index cannot be completely reduced even if the surface treatment is applied, and a new problem occurs in which the maintenance cost increases due to the surface treatment. Furthermore, since the dedicated square bottle is not used for general purposes, the work of transferring the contents from one bottle to another is also required.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and aims to provide a solubility measuring device that can improve the accuracy of solubility measurement and reduce the work of transferring containers and maintenance costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The solubility measuring device of the present invention is a solubility measuring device that measures the solubility of a sample, and is characterized by comprising a transparent cylindrical container for containing the sample and a solvent, an irradiation unit that irradiates the cylindrical container with irradiation light, a detection unit that detects light that has passed through the cylindrical container from the irradiation light, an adjustment unit that adjusts the distance between the cylindrical container and the irradiation unit and the distance between the cylindrical container and the detection unit, and a measurement unit that measures the solubility of the sample in the solvent based on the spectrum of light detected by the detection unit.

[0007] The solubility measuring device according to the present invention is provided with a transparent cylindrical container that contains a sample and a solvent, and the wall surface of the cylindrical container functions as a convex lens, so that the light transmitted through the cylindrical container can be converged. In this way, the diffusion of the irradiated light that occurs when a conventional square bottle is used can be prevented, and the measurement accuracy of the solubility can be improved. In addition, since the device is provided with an adjustment unit that adjusts the distance between the cylindrical container and the irradiation unit and the distance between the cylindrical container and the detection unit, the distance between the cylindrical container and the irradiation unit and the distance between the cylindrical container and the detection unit can be adjusted for each solvent, that is, the focal length of the irradiated light can be changed according to the type of solvent. As a result, it is possible to cancel the difference in refractive index due to the difference in solvent, so that the solubility of the sample can be measured more accurately.

[0008] In addition, the cylindrical container is generally used, so it is less expensive than the conventional square bottle, and since the conventional surface treatment is not required, the maintenance cost can be reduced. Furthermore, the conventional cylindrical container can be used as it is as the container of the solubility measuring device, so the conventional container transfer work can be reduced.

[0009] In the solubility measuring device according to the present invention, the cylindrical container, the irradiation unit, the detection unit, and the adjustment unit are preferably integrated into one unit, and the number of units is preferably multiple. In this way, the multiple units can be used to simultaneously carry out solubility measurements using different solvents, making it easy to evaluate differences between solvents. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of measuring solubility, and to reduce the transfer work between containers and the maintenance costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a solubility measuring device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining the effect of the solubility measuring device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a solubility measuring device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the solubility measuring device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. In the following description, the light that is irradiated and transmitted through the cylindrical container may be referred to as "transmitted light".

[0013] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a solubility measuring device according to the first embodiment. The solubility measuring device 1 of this embodiment is a device for measuring the solubility of a sample by irradiating a cylindrical container containing a solvent and a sample with light and analyzing the spectrum of the light transmitted through the cylindrical container. As shown in Fig. 1, the solubility measuring device 1 includes a rail 8 mounted on a base 7, a cylindrical container 2 arranged on the rail 8, an irradiation unit 3, and a detection unit 4.

[0014] The base 7 is, for example, a workbench, and has a flat upper surface. The rail 8 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, and is fixed to the upper surface of the base 7 via a pair of legs 81 disposed at both ends of the rail 8 in the longitudinal direction.

[0015] The cylindrical container 2 is a transparent container that contains a sample (solute) and a solvent. The cylindrical container 2 has a cylindrical container body 21 formed of a material that is transparent to the irradiation light emitted by the irradiation unit 3, and a lid unit 22 that closes the opening of the container body 21. The material of the container body 21 may be transparent glass or a transparent resin material. The cylindrical container 2 having such a configuration is supported by a pedestal 23, for example.

[0016] The base 23 is formed in a rectangular shape from, for example, a resin material, and has a recess in its center into which the bottom of the container body 21 can be fitted. In this embodiment, the base 23 is fixed to the rail 8, but may be disposed so as to be movable along the rail 8.

[0017] The irradiation unit 3 is for applying irradiation light to the cylindrical container 2. The irradiation unit 3 is configured to have, for example, a laser emission unit that generates laser light (i.e., irradiation light) and a focusing lens that focuses the irradiation light, and is disposed on a rail 8 so as to be movable.

[0018] The detection unit 4 is for detecting the light transmitted through the cylindrical container 2 by the irradiation of the irradiation light. The detection unit 4 is configured to have, for example, a light receiving sensor, and detects the transmitted light transmitted through the cylindrical container 2 by the irradiation of the irradiation light. The detection unit 4 is electrically connected to the measurement unit 5 described later, and outputs the spectrum of the detected transmitted light to the measurement unit 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the detection unit 4 is movably arranged on the rail 8. More specifically, the detection unit 4 is located on the rail 8 on the opposite side to the irradiation unit 3 across the cylindrical container 2.

[0019] The solubility measuring device 1 of this embodiment also includes a measuring unit 5 that measures the solubility of a sample. The measuring unit 5 is configured by a microcomputer that combines, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes calculations, a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a secondary storage device that records programs for the calculations, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a temporary storage device that stores the calculation process and temporary control variables, and performs various calculations related to the measurement of solubility by executing the stored programs. For example, the measuring unit 5 measures the solubility of a sample in a solvent based on the spectrum of transmitted light output from the detecting unit 4. As a method for measuring solubility based on the spectrum of light, a well-known technique is used, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0020] Furthermore, the measurement unit 5 may have a display. In this way, the measurement unit 5 can display the measured solubility result on the display, thereby notifying the result to the user of the device.

[0021] Furthermore, the solubility measuring device 1 of this embodiment includes an adjustment unit 6 that adjusts the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3, and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4. As shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 1, the adjustment unit 6 has a first adjustment unit 6A that adjusts the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3, and a second adjustment unit 6B that adjusts the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4. The adjustment unit 6 (i.e., the first adjustment unit 6A and the second adjustment unit 6B) is configured by an actuator having, for example, a ball screw shaft 61 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rail 8, and a slide block 62 that advances and retreats along the ball screw shaft 61 while being guided by the rail 8. The irradiation unit 3 and the detection unit 4 are fixed to the slide block 62.

[0022] The adjustment unit 6 having such a structure is disposed, for example, inside the rail 8. Note that the adjustment unit 6 is not limited to an actuator having a ball screw shaft 61 and a slide block 62, and may be configured, for example, by an actuator having a linear guide and a ball screw, or a linear motion mechanism other than an actuator.

[0023] According to the solubility measuring device 1 of this embodiment, since it is equipped with the transparent cylindrical container 2 that contains the sample and the solvent, the wall surface of the cylindrical container 2 functions as a convex lens and can converge the light transmitted through the cylindrical container 2 (see FIG. 2). In this way, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of the irradiated light that occurs when a conventional square bottle is used, and it is possible to improve the accuracy of the solubility measurement.

[0024] In addition, since the adjusting unit 6 is provided for adjusting the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3 and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4, the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3 and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4 can be adjusted according to the type of solvent, and the focal length of the irradiated light can be changed according to the solvent. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cylindrical container 2 contains solvents A and B, the refractive index differs depending on the difference between the solvents A and B (in other words, a difference in refractive index occurs), so the focal length changes. Therefore, by using the adjusting unit 6 to adjust the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3 and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4, it is possible to cancel the difference in refractive index due to the difference between the solvents A and B.

[0025] More specifically, when solvent B is contained in the cylindrical container 2, the focal length of the irradiated light becomes shorter than when solvent A is contained. For example, on the premise that the position of the cylindrical container 2 is not changed, the difference in refractive index due to the difference between solvents A and B can be cancelled by shortening the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation unit 3 with the first adjustment unit 6A and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection unit 4 with the second adjustment unit 6B. As a result, the solubility of the sample in solvents A and B can be measured more accurately.

[0026] In addition, since the cylindrical container 2 is a general-purpose container, it is less expensive than a conventional square bottle, and since the conventional surface treatment is not required, the maintenance cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the general-purpose cylindrical container 2 can be used as it is as the container of the solubility measuring device 1, the conventional container transfer work can be reduced.

[0027] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the solubility measuring device will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. The solubility measuring device 1A of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that it includes a plurality of units 10, each of which is composed of a cylindrical container 2, an irradiation unit 3, a detection unit 4, and an adjustment unit 6. Here, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, the solubility measuring device 1A includes a cylindrical container 2, an irradiation unit 3, a detection unit 4, and a plurality of adjustment units 6 (a first adjustment unit 6A and a second adjustment unit 6B). The cylindrical container 2, the irradiation unit 3, the detection unit 4, and the adjustment unit 6, and the rail 8 on which they are installed, constitute one unit 10, and there are a plurality of such units 10 (six in Fig. 3).

[0029] More specifically, six rails 8 are fixed to the upper surface of the base 7 so as to be parallel to each other. A cylindrical container 2, an irradiation unit 3, a detection unit 4, a first adjustment unit 6A, and a second adjustment unit 6B are arranged on each rail 8. The arrangement of the cylindrical container 2, the irradiation unit 3, the detection unit 4, the first adjustment unit 6A, and the second adjustment unit 6B is the same as in the first embodiment described above, so a duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0030] The detection section 4 of each unit 10 is electrically connected to the measurement section 5, and outputs the spectrum of the transmitted light detected by each detection section 4 to the measurement section 5. The measurement section 5 then measures the solubility of the sample in each solvent based on the spectrum of light detected by each detection section 4, and outputs the measurement results. When outputting, the measurement section 5 indicates the solubility measurement results by assigning, for example, a number that can be distinguished between each solvent.

[0031] According to the solubility measuring device 1A of this embodiment, in addition to obtaining the same action and effect as the first embodiment described above, since it includes a plurality of units 10 each consisting of a cylindrical container 2, an irradiation section 3, a detection section 4, and an adjustment section 6, it is possible to simultaneously carry out solubility measurements using different solvents using these units 10. That is, by adjusting the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the irradiation section 3 and the distance between the cylindrical container 2 and the detection section 4 for each unit 10, it is possible to simultaneously carry out measurements of the solubility in a plurality of types of solvents. As a result, it is possible to easily evaluate differences in solvents.

[0032] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1, 1A: solubility measuring device, 2: cylindrical container, 3: irradiation unit, 4: detection unit, 5: measurement unit, 6: adjustment unit, 6A: first adjustment unit, 6B: second adjustment unit, 7: base, 8: rail, 10: unit, 21: container body, 22: lid, 23: pedestal, 61: ball screw shaft, 62: slide block, 81: leg

Claims

[Claim 1] A solubility measuring device for measuring the solubility of a sample, comprising: a transparent cylindrical container for containing the sample and a solvent; An irradiation unit that irradiates the cylindrical container with irradiation light; a detection unit that detects the light transmitted through the cylindrical container; an adjustment unit that adjusts a distance between the cylindrical container and the irradiation unit and a distance between the cylindrical container and the detection unit; a measurement unit that measures the solubility of the sample in the solvent based on the spectrum of light detected by the detection unit; A solubility measuring device comprising:

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