Vertical Angle Rotors

Vertical angle rotors feature the shortest pathlength of any rotor type, the fastest run time, and the highest resolution.

In a vertical rotor, tubes are vertical during the run. The short pathlength and low k factors of these rotors mean that the particle has only a short distance to travel to pellet, reducing the run time for the application.

It’s not the best rotor to use for pelleting, because the centripetal force in a perfectly vertical tube spreads the pellet out along the entire outer wall of the tube.

A vertical rotor is used for

  • Isopycnic separations – specifically for the banding of DNA in cesium chloride
  • Gradient and density cushion separations, such as for viral particles

A gradient density cushion separation:

  • Increasing density layers ending with a higher density cushion at the tube bottom
  • Ideal for isolating lagile, pelleted samples at the “softer” cushion interface

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