A vortex mixer , or vortexer, is a simple device commonly used in laboratories to mix small bottles of liquids. It consists of an electric motor with a vertically oriented drive shaft and affixed to a cupped rubber piece mounted slightly in the center. When the motor runs the rubber piece oscillates quickly in a circular motion. When the test tube or other suitable container is pressed into a rubber cup (or touched to the edge), the movement is transmitted to the liquid inside and the vortex is made. Most vortex mixers are designed with 2 or 4-plate format, have variable speed settings ranging from 100 to 3200 rpm, and can be set to run continuously, or only run when downward pressure is applied to the rubber piece.
Vortex mixers are quite common in bioscience laboratories. In cell cultures and microbiological laboratories they can be used to suspend cells. In biochemical or analytical laboratories they may be used to mix reagents from a test or to mix experimental and dilutant samples.
The vortex mixer was created by Kraft brothers (Jack A. Kraft and Harold D. Kraft) while working for the Scientific Industry (manufacturer of laboratory equipment). The patent was filed by Kraft's brothers on April 6, 1959 and awarded on 30 October 1962. The Scientific Industry still makes a version of this original vortex mixer.
An alternative to electric vortex mixers is a "vortex finger" technique in which the vortex is manually created by striking test tubes in forward and downward movements with a person's finger or thumb. This is usually longer and often results in insufficient suspension, although it may be appropriate in some cases when the vortex mixer is not available or the force involved in vortexing will damage the sample, but this technique is not recommended when caustic substances are involved. This technique is more suitable for accelerating a mixture of solutions that do not require the input of the kinetic energy required to make the suspension.
Video Vortex mixer
Vortex and Microplate incubate
For incubation applications, vortex mixers can use precision temperature control at various mixing speeds that make it ideal for a wide range of molecular biology applications including immunochemical reactions, enzyme and protein analysis, and microarray analysis.
Maps Vortex mixer
See also
- Magnetic stirrer and stir bar
- Shuffle
- Stir bar
- Static mixer
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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