The Centrifugation concept and applications

labsoko Blog / News December 19, 2022

The first centrifuge was built by Alexander Prandtl in 1875 as a mean of separating cream from milk. Since then, the laborator centrifuge developed to be a principal tool in scientific and clinical labs.

The Centrifugation concept and applications:

When an object is put in rotation around an axis, an outward radial force is applied on it. This centripetal force is used to accelerate Sedimentation, a process where denser particles move faster to the bottom, or in a centrifuge, towards an outward direction. This principle is used for several different applications in the modern lab, with the purpose of separating different constitutes within a solution:

Cells centrifugation: When there’s a need to transfer cells from one solution to another, it is required to the separate of the media of the cells themselves, which are denser than their solution and therefore sediment in the bottom of a tube, which allows a replacement of the media without loosing the cells. Cells, depending on their size, are usually centrifuged at speeds of 300-500G depending on their size. The higher the speed, the faster and better they sediment, however with the cost of a higher physical stress to the cells which might damage or tear them.
Differential centrifugation: This method, similarly to cells centrifugation, exploits the concept where denser and larger particles sediment faster. Therefore, brief centrifugation cycles are applied to a tube, and between each cycle, the fraction which has sedimented in the bottom of the tube is collected. A common use to this method is in cell lysated, where the different organelles sink in the tube in different rates, and are collected separately between each centrifugation.
Ultrafiltration: A method to purify a solution from proteins up to a certain size, depending on the ultrafiltration tube membrane. These tubes use the centripetal force to push a liquid through a semi-permeable membrane. Different cutoff membranes exist in the marker, from 3000 NMWL to 100K NMWL, which allow every protein up to a certain size to pass the membrane into the disposal compartment, leaving a filtered and concentrated solution in the upper part. It is commonly used to purify and study proteins, concentrate viral vectors such as AAV, Retro and lentivirus, and more.
Density gradient separation (Rate-Zonal Centrifugation): This method is mostly used in biology labs to separate tissues and subcellular organelles to their components. Using an application specific dense and viscous medium, particles with different densities are concentrated in defined bands within the gradient medium, which itself has a differential density along the tube. This allows for a better separation of the different components, which are layered in different bands according to their densities. Some methods include a multi layered medium, where the bottom layer is the densest and most concentrated, while the upper layers are lighter. In this case, the particles usually focus on the borderline between the media layers. Of the most popular uses of this concept is whole blood separation to it’s different cellular components, which is done by mixing the blood with a dense polysaccharides rich media. In order not to break or mix the different bands that are formed by the centrifugation, a very slow and gradual deacceleration is applied to the tubes, thus maintaining the gentle layers separated.

Sale!

Sodium Alginate Extrapure 250g
Original price was: KSh 19,500.00.Current price is: KSh 15,950.00.

Sodium Alginate

Add to cart
Leica- Sprinter 150 Digital Level
KSh 560,000.00

Add to cart
BD Sodium Citrate Vacutainer Tube
KSh 6,950.00

BD Sodium Citrate Vacutainer tube

Pack of 100 pieces

Blue topped

Add to cart
Sale!

Bedside Locker
Original price was: KSh 16,500.00.Current price is: KSh 15,400.00.

Includes a drawer and a double-deck cupboard. The whole cabinet is made of good-quality ABS; towel can be hung at the side.

With dining board, drawer, sundries pothook, and towel stand. It is very beautiful and the design is reasonable. Thermos, washbasin, and other commodity can be put in it; there is a board for meals between the drawer and the tabletop.

Add to cart
25 Litres Digital Laboratory Incubator
KSh 47,500.00

A laboratory incubator is used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures.

The incubator maintains optimal temperature, humidity and other condition

Add to cart
Sale!

Ambu bag Adults
Original price was: KSh 4,500.00.Current price is: KSh 4,000.00.

A bag valve mask (BVM), sometimes referred to as an Ambu bag, is a handheld tool that is used to deliver positive pressure ventilation to any subject with insufficient or ineffective breaths. It consists of a self-inflating bag, one-way valve, mask, and an oxygen reservoir.

The bag is equipped with an anesthetic mask, breathing and oxygen bag.

All components latex free

Disinfectable, autoclave up to 134 °C, gas sterilizable (silicone version)
Robust: ready for use under toughest environmental conditions

Add to cart
Sale!

Emergency Medicine Trolley
Original price was: KSh 122,000.00.Current price is: KSh 115,000.00.

A crash cart is a set of trays/drawers/shelves on wheels used in hospitals for transportation and dispensing of emergency medication/equipment at site

Add to cart
Sale!

Test Tube Stand
Original price was: KSh 250.00.Current price is: KSh 190.00.

Test tube Stand are laboratory equipment used to hold upright multiple test tubes at the same time. They are most commonly used when various different solutions are needed to work with simultaneously, for safety reasons, for safe storage of test tubes, and to ease the transport of multiple tubes.

Add to cart
Sale!

Distilled Water
KSh 550.00 – KSh 800.00

Because distilled water is so pure, it is a common tool used in the medical field

Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Sale!

Bunsen Burner
Original price was: KSh 1,200.00.Current price is: KSh 850.00.

Bunsen Burner with air regulator: A small adjustable gas burner used in laboratories as a source of heat.

Add to cart
Sale!

Pulse Oximeter
Original price was: KSh 3,000.00.Current price is: KSh 2,500.00.

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation (SO2). Though its reading of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) is not always identical to the more desirable reading of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) from arterial blood gas analysis, the two are correlated well enough that the safe, convenient, noninvasive, inexpensive pulse oximetry method is valuable for measuring oxygen saturation in clinical use.

Add to cart
Electronic Centrifuge 6tubes
KSh 12,000.00

Electronic Digital Centrifuge 6x15ml tubes

Add to cart