what is the difference between a centrifuge and a microcentrifuge 12-11-2014d1438
2014-12-11what is the difference between a centrifuge and a microcentrifuge 12-11-2014d1438
Types of centrifuges. The major distinguishing features between centrifuge types are speed and capacity. In a typical biochemistry laboratory you will find three different centrifuges (this is true in your biochemistry teaching lab as well). The smallest are the so-called microfuge centrifuges. These are made for spinning 1 to 2 ml plastic centrifuge tubes at speeds up to 12 or 13 thousand rounds per minute. They have very small, light rotors in them (the rotor is the part of the centrifuge that contains the holes for the sample tubes) which speed up and slow down rapidly. These centrifuges are very convenient for low to medium speed centrifugation of small quantities of material.
The next common size centrifuge is the large superspeed centrifuge. These have speeds up to about 20,000 rpm and can take tubes of various sizes, depending on the rotors (the larger the rotor, the slower the maximum speed). Typical tubes hold 25 or 30 mls but bottles as large as several hundred mls can be run with the correct rotor.
Finally, most biochemistry laboratories have access to an ultracentrifuge. Speeds up to 70,000 rpm are available on typical modern versions. Again the size of tube and the maximum speed vary from rotor to rotor, but tube sizes up to about 60 mls are available.