If you are currently in the market for a centrifuge, try to find one that measures both RPM and RCF to save you having to manually convert them. If this is the case, you can use a formula to convert RPM to RCF which is outlined below. You may notice that your centrifuge only has a setting for RPM. This is why you should always document your procedures as g’s rather than RPM. RCF accommodates the rotor size into its measurement so we can determine the gravitational force being applied. A centrifuge spinning at 5000 RPM, for example, will spin at 5000 RPM regardless of the centrifuge being used or the size of the rotor. RPM simply measures how fast the rotor is spinning and while this information is helpful, it is lacking the ability to truly measure the g’s the sample is subject to. What’s the difference between RPM and RCF?īoth RPM and RCF/g-force can be measured in centrifugation but as we have just explored, the two are very different. RCF is the preferred method of measurement as it will remain the same even if you are using a different centrifuge with a different rotor size. Not only does RCF take into account the speed of rotation, it also measures the distance from the centre of rotation to give us a g-force measurement. The force is generated from the spinning of the rotor which, in turn, exerts this force outward on the centrifuge tube. Relative Centrifugal Force (RCF) or g-force (both are the same, RCF is expressed as units of gravity) is a measurement of the gravitational force that a sample is subject to. Ultracentrifuges are also available and are the most powerful type of centrifuge, they can spin in excess of 150,000 RPM. A low speed centrifuge might spin at as low as 300 RPM, whilst a high speed centrifuge could spin up to 15000 RPM. Centrifuges will have a speed range that they are capable of achieving and will vary depending on the centrifuge. Basically, it is telling us how fast the rotor is spinning. Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) in regards to centrifugation is simply a measurement of how fast the centrifuge rotor does a full rotation in one minute. Let’s take a look at both RCF and RPM in more detail and determine if there is any correlation between the two. It is important that you are aware that the two are very different, get them wrong (which isn’t as uncommon as you might think) and the experiment will be ruined. When dealing with centrifuges, you will come across two different units of measure: The Relative Centrifugal Force (RCF) and Revolutions Per Minute (RPM).
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