How to Choose the Right Centrifuge Tube?

Centrifugal tubes have been widely used in the biological sciences, especially in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. So what exactly is a centrifuge tube? How should we choose the right centrifuge tube?

What is a centrifuge tube?

The centrifuge tube is a tubular sample container with a sealing cap or gland. Simply put, it is a simple tube that can withstand high rotational pressures, such as from some samples, separating the supernatant precipitate.

Centrifuge tube purchase tips

The centrifuge tube is mainly made of glass, plastic, and stainless steel. The commonly used materials for plastic centrifuge tubes are polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), etc., of which PP tube has better performance. Plastic centrifuge tubes have the advantage of being transparent (or translucent) with low hardness and can be removed by puncture. The defects are easy to deform, poor in corrosion resistance to organic solvents, and short in service life.

The stainless steel tube has high strength, no deformation, heat resistance, frost resistance, and chemical resistance. However, it should also be protected from contact with highly corrosive chemicals such as strong acids and alkalis.

The plastic centrifuge tube has a tube cover, and the tube cover must be tightly sealed before centrifugation, so the liquid is inverted without leakage. The cap has three functions: 1 to avoid leakage of the sample. This is especially important when used with radioactive or highly corrosive samples. 2 Avoid sample evaporation. 3 Support the centrifuge tube to avoid deformation of the centrifuge tube. When using the glass tube, the centripetal force should not be too large, and the rubber pad should be used to avoid the tube breaking. The high-speed centrifuge generally does not use a glass tube.