What’s the Difference Between Centrifuge Tube and PCR Tube?
What are PCR and PCR tubes?
In 1985, the American company Perkin-Elmer Cetus invented the epoch-making polymerase chain reaction (Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR), which made people’s dream of in vitro infinite amplification of nucleic acid fragments a reality. This reaction process is carried out in a PCR reaction vessel. PCR is a biotechnology that replicates specific DNA fragments in large quantities in a short period of time. It is somewhat similar to cloning, but not the same. The main difference between the two is that PCR is only a test tube reaction and does not involve the use of living cells.
PCR tubes are commonly used consumables in biological experiments, and their main function is to provide containers for polymerase chain reactions.
Difference between centrifuge tube and PCR tube
Centrifuge tubes are divided into various types according to their capacity. Commonly used ones are 1.5ml, 2ml, 5ml, 15 or 50ml, and the smaller ones are 1.5ml and 2ml (250ul). They were used as PCR tubes in the early stage of PCR technology application. Gradually, the microcentrifuge tubes are replaced by special 0.2ml special PCR tubes, which are transparent and thin-walled, thanks to the PCR technology development. Later, in addition to the 0.2ml PCR tubes, there are 0.1ml PCR tubes and multi-well PCR plates born. The 96-well or 384-well PCR reaction plate is an integration of multiple micro PCR tubes and is specially designed for batch reactions.
About HAWACH PCR tube
Many PCR tubes are available in the market. Then why choose HAWACH? The PCR tubes provided by HAWACH are made of specially formulated polypropylene material, with better air tightness, tolerance, heat transfer and optical permeability, and so on. Its highest grade medical grade polypropylene is improved so that the product can reach a higher level than similar products. Better thermal conductivity, fast response, and uniform thermal conductivity. Thanks to the ultra-thin tube wall design, precise temperature control and heat transfer would become more convenient. Its package has product batch numbers for easy quality tracking. Plus, it’s packed in high-quality plastic bags, and packed in beautifully colored and thickened inner boxes to ensure the safety of transportation.
There are two types of tube caps, protruding caps, and flat caps, to meet different experimental needs. The earliest PCR instruments did not have a hot cover. During the PCR process, the liquid at the bottom of the tube evaporated to the top. If the cap is flat, it is not easy to agglutinate, so it is designed as a protruding cap (that is, a round top), which is convenient for evaporation. The liquid coagulates and flows down. The temperature at the top of the PCR cap is high and the temperature at the bottom is low. The liquid at the bottom is not easy to evaporate to the top, so the flat cap type is mostly used at present.
With the standard tube design, it can be used in most PCR instruments. It features accurate measurement outside the tube, convenient and simple one-handed operation, free of DNase and RNase, and easy to sterilize. It’s widely used in laboratory PCR analysis, food safety testing, disease control testing, and so on.
