3. Ultracentrifugation is a specialized technique used
to spin samples at exceptionally high speeds. ...
Ultracentrifugation widened the applications of
benchtop centrifugation, allowing the isolation of
smaller sized particles,
and the study of purified molecules and molecular
complexes (Ohlendieck & Harding, 2017)
4. It is high speed vacuum- type centrifuge.
It works in a vacuum chamber
It was firs
It discovered by Swedberg in 1920
Speed of more than 60000 rpm
Current ultracentrifuges can spin to as much as 150 000
rotations per minute (rpm) (equivalent to 1 000 000 g)
Temperature is not raised
As it spins in air –free medium, the air friction is
eliminated
This leads to the attainment of high rotational speeds
with relatively little expenditure of energy
5. The modern ultracentrifuge has an optical device
through which the sedimentation can be observed
and photographed
Analytical ultracentrifuge is the latest ultra
centrifuge
cellular components, such as organelles, lipid
membranes, and even to purify proteins and
ribonucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
6. Ultracentrifuges are the centrifuges that operate at
extremely high speeds that allow the separation of
much smaller molecules like ribosomes, proteins,
and viruses.
It is the most sophisticated type of centrifuge that
allows the separation of molecules that cannot be
separated with other centrifuges.
7. Refrigeration systems are present in such centrifuges
that help to balance the heat produced due to the
intense spinning.
The speed of these centrifuges can reach as high as
150,000 rpm.
It can be used for both preparative and analytical works.
Ultracentrifuges can separate molecules in large batches
and in a continuous flow system.
In addition to separation, ultracentrifuges can also be
used for the determination of properties of
macromolecules like the size, shape, and density
8. the denser a biological structure is, the faster it sediments in
a centrifugal field
the more massive a biological particle is, the faster it moves
in a centrifugal field
the denser the biological buffer system is, the slower the
particle moves in a centrifugal field
the greater the frictional coefficient (i.e., the friction between
the component and the neighboring environment) is, the
slower a particle moves
the greater the centrifugal force is, the faster the particle
sediments
the sedimentation rate of a given particle will be zero when
the density of the particle and the surrounding medium is
equal.
9. To separate two miscible substances
To analyze the hydrodynamic properties of macromolecules
Purification of mammalian cells
Fractionation of subcellular organelles (including membranes/membrane
fractions) Fractionation of membrane vesicles
Separating chalk powder from water
Removing fat from milk to produce skimmed milk
Separating particles from an air-flow using cyclonic separation
The clarification and stabilization of wine
Separation of urine components and blood components in forensic and research
laboratories
Aids in the separation of proteins using purification techniques such as salting
out, e.g. ammonium sulfate precipitation.
