How come we swirl?

[UrbanSage]

Good afternoon,

How come we swirl test tubes instead of shake them?
The answer will be relayed to a danish site where the question was brought up.

Some speculation on shaking adding oxygen to the test?

Thank you
Nick

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Swirling is less likely to cause spills.

 

[phobos2deimos]

My guess is that air bubbles may affect the results.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

O2 won't impact most hobby test kits.

 

[UrbanSage]

So there is no reason that will affect the test results? (In hobby grade test kits).

 

[ssm05rsx]

I thought it was so you don't lose water in the cap or a droplet to not skew the results

 

[Jared J]

I thought it was just a carryover from professional labs. They don't shake beakers they swirl also.

 

[ssm05rsx]

I thought it was just a carryover from professional labs. They don't shake beakers they swirl also.

I think you are correct, I do remember that from my Chemistry classes in college. Professor would yell at us constantly if we tried to shake the test tube, I do not know the reason though.

 

[MrRyanT]

Swirling is less likely to cause spills.

I like this answer.

 

[Genetics]

O2 won't impact most hobby test kits.

I second this. Swirling does not create the chaotic turbulence to spill. :fun4: Though I have inverted a hobby grade test kit a time or two. :bounce3:

 

[jenglish]

I think you are correct, I do remember that from my Chemistry classes in college. Professor would yell at us constantly if we tried to shake the test tube, I do not know the reason though.

What we have in the test tubes are generally pretty benign. Not everything is and it is probably a good habit to get into. Personally I shake my tests :lol:

 

[sowellj]

There was an on-going joke back when I was in graduate school that 90% of what was required to get a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry was the ability to hold a flask up to the light and swirl .... the remaining 10% consisted of using the phrase 'resonance stabilized'.