A centrifuge is a machine that, thanks to the centrifugal force, enables the separation of phases, i.e. the solid phase from the liquid phase. This method in the laboratory is particularly useful when obtaining a mixture in which one substance is finely dispersed in another, i.e. in a solvent. There are practically two types of centrifuges: sieve and sedimentation. The latter are more often used in the laboratory. The separation power of the centrifuge depends on the number of its revolutions. Manual centrifuges can achieve up to 1,000 revolutions per minute, while electric centrifuges can achieve ten times more revolutions. Unlike manual centrifuges, these centrifuges are protected and caution is required when working with them. There are also ultra-centrifuges that are used in protein and virus research, for example, and they can reach up to 60,000 revolutions per minute.
