Because nobody wants to perform experiments while sitting inside a refrigerator/freezer, it became necessary to come up with a solution for keeping samples and reagents cold for several hours at a time when doing laboratory bench work.
Lo and behold, the humble ice-bucket, hero of hotels and motels, was pressed into service.
Made of either Styrofoam, like the sort of cooler one might purchase for a beach barbecue, or more durable polyurethane; ice buckets, ice trays and ice pans do an excellent job staying cold and holding the temperature stable.
The trouble with an ice bucket is, nobody likes having to repeatedly shove their hands into icy water either.
Furthermore, water is a breeding ground for microbes, and wet tubes and hands are an invitation for contamination.
To dramatically improve the comfort of the laboratory technician and address the concern with water borne contamination, several dry chilling devices are now available in a variety of formats suitable for most bench top activities.
Let's take a look at three variations on this theme and highlight some unique characteristics of each:
Lab Armor Chill-Bucket
Many are familiar with Lab Armor beads as a replacement for water in heating baths. The same milled aluminum beads have insulating properties as well.
The Lab Armor Chill Bucket is made of a polyurethane ice bucket, Lab Armor beads and gel packs which are frozen overnight and then inserted into the Chill Bucket.
Motley Cool PCR Workstation
The plastic base of the Motley Cool is densely packed with gel that fills the unique contours and shapes of this tube chiller.
Every part of the surface of the Motley Cool is designed for maximum use and efficiency.
The Motley Cool tube chiller can hold up to a full PCR plate, 0.5 and 1.5mL micro tubes, 2mL cryovials, PLUS a 50mL solution reservoir.
Freeze the Motley Cool overnight and it will keep samples at 4C for nearly five hours.
While both of these tube chillers are designed for localized use, there are other variations which are made to also transport tubes without compromising on the sample integrity.
Tube Chillers and Transporters
Stellar Scientific offers plastic transport tube chillers with locking lids and carrying handles in an assortment of colors and temperature ranges.
Look for our red and yellow tube chillers and transporters with the ability to keep samples cold for up to one hour.
Our blue and green tube chillers maintain temperatures as low as -20C for up to 3.5 hours
Whether preparing qPCR, ELISA or another temperature sensitive protocol, Stellar Scientific has an ice-free device to protect your samples and make your work more enjoyable..