Centrifugation| Separation Methods | Physics

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 for 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 a 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 tool the amount of centrifugal force experienced by any object depends on its 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 centrifugation is used in diagnostic labs for blood and urine tests it is used in dairies and homes to separate butter from cream

Channel: KClassScienceChannel

Views: 792,737

Keywords: centrifugation, centrifugal force, separate components of mixture, different weights, mass, speed of rotation, muddy water, calcium hydroxide, soil precipitate, white precipitate, precipitate, physics, STEM, kclass, science

Id: KEXWd3_fM94

Length: 2min 51sec (171 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 01 2013