Sonication: why is foam bad? - (Oct/10/2014 )

Hi All, 

I see lots of tips on "ways to avoid foam", and that "foam is bad". But I can't seem to find what's bad about it. Why do you want to avoid foam during sonication?

Also, if it's true that water bath sonicators don't produce foam, why aren't they the alternative?

Is there a difference in how bath and probe sonicators disrupt tissue? 

Many thanks for any help!

TurtleBob

Foam is bad as it increases the surface area of the solution and thereby causes oxidation of the proteins and hence degradation. It also causes strong forces that can pull complexes apart.

Bath sonicators are usually too gentle to do what you want a sonicator to do, which is why people tend to go for a probe sonicator.

bob1 on Sun Oct 12 21:54:15 2014 said:

Foam is bad as it increases the surface area of the solution and thereby causes oxidation of the proteins and hence degradation. It also causes strong forces that can pull complexes apart.

 

Bath sonicators are usually too gentle to do what you want a sonicator to do, which is why people tend to go for a probe sonicator.

thank you!