When a liquid containing suspended materials is allowed to stand for some time, the heavier particles will settle down through a process called sedimentation. This can be used to separate the material from the liquid. But what will we do if the suspended material is very light? It will take days to settle. In such cases, we can use the process of centrifugation to quicken the process of sedimentation.
Centrifugation is the process of separating substances of different densities from a mixture with the help of a centrifuge. Let us conduct an experiment to see centrifugation. For this we need a handy centrifuge machine, muddy water, mixture of calcium carbonate in water, four centrifuge test tubes.
Take the sample of muddy water and place the test tubes in the centrifuge machine. Now take the calcium hydroxide mixture in the test tubes and also place them in the centrifuge machine. Rotate the machines fast for few minutes.
Stop rotating. Remove the test tubes and observe. We see mud particles and white precipitate have settled in each of the test tubes.
This is the process of centrifugation. In a centrifuge, as we rotate, the substances experience centrifugal force away from the center, which forces the materials against the wall of the tube. The amount of centrifugal force experienced by any object depends on its mass. mass and the speed of rotation. The components of a mixture get separated because the denser particles are forced to the bottom while the lighter ones stay at the top.
So with an increase in the speed of rotation, even lighter materials can settle down. Centrification is used in diagnostic labs for blood and urine tests. It is used in dairies and homes to separate butter from cream.