AU Biomaterials Design Lab:Equipment/Centrifuge

Description

Thermo Scientific RC-6+ Centrifuge: two different rotars are available with this model.

• Sorvall SH-3000 Swinging Bucket Rotor
• Sorvall RC-6 Plus Superspeed Centrifuge
  • This instrumentation is used to rotate an object at varying speeds in order to separate out different substances based on their different densities at controlled temperatures. More dense substances are pushed to the bottom while less dense substances are able to move to the top. Between the two rotors, the rpm ranges from 0-22000rpm.

Purpose of Use

• Using different rotors allows for a variety of speeds to be used in the centrifuge, depending on the substances that you are trying to separate out, different speeds and different lengths of time may be necessary.
• It is first important to note that the rotar is securely attached in the rotor chamber.
• For the Sh-3000 rotor, the rotor body had four aluminum buckets which hang from the rotor body on support pins.the buckets accept a variety of adapters: glass and plastic tubes or bottles up to 98mm in diameter.
• Because the instrument is spinning at high speeds, it is extremely important to balance out the system. When using the rotor buckets or microplate carriers, in the Sh-3000 rotor, the opposing buckets or micro plate carriers need to be balanced to within 10 grams. For the 6 plus super speed centrifuge, the balance needs to be within .01grams of each other.

Basic Operation

1. Turn the machine on
2. Open the chamber door and install the rotor, if needed, make sure that the rotor cover is installed and place the rotor on the drive spindle and lock it in place turing the rotor locking knob counterclockwise
3. close the chamber door
4. Set the run screen with the appropriate parameters ( including specifications for temperature, time, and rounds per minute (rpm). Be sure to monitor the centrifuge in the beginning to ensure that no unbalance has been detected.
5. The centrifuge works by spinning the contents of the rotor both horizontally and vertically.

This Centrifuge can be used to separate out solutions and substances based on their individual densities. More dense substances get pushed down while less dense substances are brought to the top.

Location

• Beeghly 314
• American University
• Washington, DC
  • access to the room is restricted; see Dr. Miller, Dr. Hartings or Dr. Fox for access.

Contact

• contact with questions or to schedule access via email
  • Dr. Matt Hartings
  • Dr. Abigail Miller

Safety

• Be wary of contamination and possible leakage when working with radioactive, toxic, or pathogenic materials.
• Be sure to securely lock the rotor to drive before starting a centrifuge run
• Do not expose aluminum rotor components to strong acids, bases, or alkaline laboratory detergents. The bearings of the drive unit may corrode or deteriorate.
• Do not operate centrifuge with a rotor out of balance or at the critical speed as this will damage the centrifuge and reduce the component life.
• Make sure centrifuge is grounded properly to avoid electrical shock hazards.
• DO not centrifuge materials in this instrument capable of developing flammable or explosive vapors or extreme exothermic reactions.