The Effects of Small Molecule and Protein Solutes on Acoustic Drop Ejection

Abstract

Increasing the solute concentration of a solution alters the speed of sound in the solution in addition to changing the fluid viscosity and surface tension. For liquid handling devices that transfer fluids with acoustic energy, the change in sound speed can impact the focus of the acoustic energy and ultimately the accuracy of the transfer volume. To determine the effects of increasing solute concentration on transfer accuracy and precision, we studied the change in sound speed in dimethyl sulfoxide with the addition of low-molecular weight compounds and in phosphate-buffered saline with protein. The impact of compound and protein concentration on transfer precision and accuracy was found to be minimal and ADE can be used to transfer fluids regardless of these additions. (JALA 2006;11:227–32)