Magnetic separation rack

thingiverse

Rack for purification using magnetic beads in molecular biology is available at a low cost. Ultra High Performance N52 Neodymium Magnets from Amazon are used, each costing approximately one dollar. These magnets snap into place without needing glue. The rack consists of two parts: a magnet holder and a tube holder that can only hold 1.5ml tubes. This design allows for easy removal and addition of tubes to the magnets while they are being vortexed in the tube holder. Four tubes can be held per rack, but the rack is designed to link together, allowing up to sixteen positions to be used. Additional tube positions are available in the rack for simple sample transfer. The spacing between the racks is 14mm, making it compatible with many tube racks and some multichannel pipettes with adjustable spacing. The rear of the rack has an angle that allows it to rest on its face, aiding the magnet. This rack performs significantly better than commercially available products, and it's a design that could have been implemented years ago. To see the rack in action, refer to a video at Jove.com, specifically the 7-minute mark in the video "Extremely Rapid and Specific Metabolic Labelling of RNA In Vivo with 4-Thiouracil (Ers4tU)".