Why Is The Centrifuge Tube Called An EP Tube?

　　Centrifuge tubes are a common type of disposable medical consumables in laboratories, mainly used in conjunction with centrifuges. The following our will introduce the following aspects in detail.

　　1. The origin of the name

　　In 1963, the world's first Eppendorf microcentrifuge tube was born in Germany Eppendorf company, providing a new tool for micro-manipulation experiments in molecular biology. Today Eppendorf (ep tube) has become a special name for small tubes that are indispensable in laboratories.

　　2. Size classification

　　According to its size, it is divided into 1.5ml, 2ml, 5ml, 10ml, 15ml, 50ml, etc. If your centrifuge is equipped with 30ml or other specifications of centrifuge tubes, you should consider importing them. In addition, centrifuge tubes are also divided into a round bottom and pointed bottom, as well as a screw cap and plug cap. Centrifuge tubes with screw caps have finer scales, and those with plugged caps have only one overall capacity mark.

　　3. Material classification

　　Commonly used centrifuge tubes in the laboratory are plastic and glass. Generally, plastic is used more, because glass centrifuge tubes cannot be used in high-speed or ultracentrifuges. Plastic centrifuge tubes are made of PP (polypropylene), PC (polycarbonate), PE (polyethylene), and other materials. PP pipe performance is relatively better. The plastic centrifuge tube is transparent or translucent, and the centrifugation of the sample can be seen intuitively, but it is relatively easy to deform and has poor corrosion resistance to organic solvents, so the service life is short. Therefore, laboratories purchase centrifuge tubes frequently.

　　The following is a brief introduction to each material.

　　PP (polypropylene): translucent, with good chemical and temperature stability, but it will become brittle at low temperatures, so do not centrifuge below 4°C.

　　PC (polycarbonate): good transparency, high hardness, can be sterilized at high temperature, but not resistant to strong acid and alkali and some organic solvents such as alcohol. It is mainly used for ultra-high-speed centrifugation above 50,000 rpm.

　　PE (polyethylene): opaque. It does not react with acetone, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, etc. It is relatively stable and tends to soften at high temperatures.

　　PA (polyamide): This material is a polymer made of PP and PE. It is translucent and has very stable chemical properties, but it is not resistant to high temperatures.

　　PS (polystyrene): transparent, hard, stable to most aqueous solutions, but will be corroded by various organic substances, mostly used for low-speed centrifugation, and generally used for one-time use.

　　PF (polyfluorene): translucent, can be used at low temperatures, if the experimental environment is -100 ℃ -140 ℃, you can use the centrifuge tube made of this material.

　　CAB (Cellulose Butyl Acetate): transparent, can be used for the gradient determination of dilute acids, alkalis, salts, alcohols, and sucrose.