Performance Comparison of Eppendorf Conical Tubes: Cap Tightness, Centrifugation Stability and Leachable Levels

This application note investigates the performance of Eppendorf Conical Tubes 15 mL and 50 mL under critical conditions and compare them to other common brands used in laboratory. Conical tubes with screw cap belong to most commonly used laboratory vessel formats and are universally used in a variety of laboratory procedures. Typical applications include handling and transport of various samples and reagents, centrifugation and mixing, and many others. Being a versatile laboratory consumable conical tubes therefore have to withstand a great variety of conditions often regarded as extreme: temperatures between - 86 °C and 100 °C, high centrifugal forces (in the range of 20,000 x g), aggressive chemicals or solvents and many others. Under such broad range of conditions the tube has to remain stable and the screw cap tightly sealed ensuring protection of samples, user and equipment.