Use of Centrifuge
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Centrifugation uses centrifugal force to separate particles in a solution based on properties like density. Centrifuges are used for various purposes including separating blood components in laboratories, isolating cell organelles through cell fractionation, and separating uranium isotopes for nuclear programs. The cell fractionation process involves disrupting cells, filtering out large particles, and purifying organelles through high-speed centrifugation. Centrifuges also have commercial applications such as removing water from laundry, separating cream from milk, and processing materials in various industries.
Use of Centrifuge
- 1. SYED MUHAMMAD KHAN (BS HONS. ZOOLOGY) pg. 1 Use of Centrifuge Centrifugation is a technique that involves the application of centrifugal force to separate particles from a solution according to their size, shape, density, viscosity of the medium, and rotor speed. A centrifuge is a device for separating particles from a solution via centrifugation. USES OF CENTRIFUGES Centrifuges are used for the following purposes: Laboratory Separations: A wide variety of laboratory-scale centrifuges are used for isolating and separating suspensions and immiscible liquids. One such application in laboratories is blood separation. Blood separates into cells (erythrocytes, leucocytes, platelets, etc.), proteins, and serum. DNA preparation is another common application for pharmaco-genetics and clinical diagnosis. Cell Fractionation: Cell fractionation can be defined as the process of separation of similar and homogeneous sets of organelles from a heterogeneous population of cells. This process can also be used to isolate a part of the cell, i.e. mitochondria, DNA, RNA, ribosomes, etc. There are three steps involved in the process of cell fractionation: Cell Disruption: It is the liberation of biological and organic molecules present within a cell. The power needed for the disruption of some cells is quite high. The tissue is homogenized in a solution in which the water content is maintained equal to the water content within the cell. Other methods like mincing, chopping, osmotic shock are used to liberate the cell organelles from the cell. Sometimes, the tissue is kept in ice-cold water or a buffered solution to prevent damages and to prevent any change in the chemical composition in the cell. Filtration: This step involves the filtering out of the macro-sized particles that can come along with the cell organelle. This step is not mandatory in some cases. But
- 2. SYED MUHAMMAD KHAN (BS HONS. ZOOLOGY) pg. 2 during the fractionation of animal tissues, filtration through gauze or a suction filter is necessary to leave out the fluid connective tissues as a residue. Purification & Segregation: The filtrate obtained in the previous step is rotated at a very high speed thereby increasing the gravitational force sequentially. The different organelles are segregated according to their density within the test tube. This process is called centrifugation. Figure: The process of cell fractionation. Isotope Separation: Some centrifuges separate isotopes, and these kinds of centrifuges are in use in nuclear power and nuclear weapon programs. Gas centrifuges are used in uranium enrichment. The heavier isotope of uranium (uranium- 238) in the uranium hexafluoride gas tends to concentrate at the walls of the centrifuge as it spins, while the desired uranium-235 isotope is extracted and concentrated with a scoop selectively placed inside the centrifuge. It takes many thousands of centrifugations to enrich uranium enough for use in a nuclear reactor (around 3.5% enrichment), and many thousands more to enrich it to weapons-grade (above 90% enrichment) for use in nuclear weapons. Synthesis Of Materials: High gravity conditions generated by centrifuge is applied in the chemical industry, casting, and material synthesis. The convection and mass transfer are greatly affected by the gravitational condition. The high-gravity level can effectively affect the phase composition and morphology of the products. Commercial Applications: Some commercial applications of centrifuges are as follows:
- 3. SYED MUHAMMAD KHAN (BS HONS. ZOOLOGY) pg. 3 Standalone centrifuges for drying (hand-washed) clothes – usually with a water outlet. Washing machines are designed to act as centrifuges to get rid of excess water in laundry loads. In soil mechanics, centrifuges utilize centrifugal acceleration to match soil stresses in a scale model to those found in reality. Large industrial centrifuges are commonly used in water and wastewater treatment to dry sludges. The resulting dry product is often termed cake, and the water leaving a centrifuge after most of the solids have been removed is called centrate. Large industrial centrifuges are also used in the oil industry to remove solids from the drilling fluid. Centrifuges are used to separate cream (remove fat) from milk.