The ultra centrifuge is a centrifuge designed to spin the rotor at very high speeds. Preparative and Analytical ultracentrifuge are the two kinds of ultracentrifuges that have been developed so far. The analytical centrifuge invented by Theodor Svedberg won him a Nobel Prize in Chemistry while it was Edward Greydon Pickels who invented the vacuum ultracentrifuge. The vacuum systems enabled the maintenance of constant temperature.

In the analytical ultra centrifuge, the optical detection system keeps monitoring the sample being spun. The modern instrumentation has enabled the observations to be digitized and stored. The common experiments performed on these instruments are sedimentation velocity experiments and sedimentation equilibrium experiments.

Experiments aimed to interpret the time-course of sedimentation and used to determine the size-distribution, are called sedimentation velocity experiments. This experiment is also used to study the reversible chemical equilibriums between macromolecular species. The final steady-state of the experiment is all that matters, the sedimentation is balanced by diffusion opposing the concentration gradients, which results in a time independent concentration profile.

Preparative ultra centrifuge comes with a wide variety of rotors that assist a great range of experiments. The rotors are designed to hold tubes that contain the samples. The Swinging Bucket Rotors have tubes hanging on hinges that actually re-orient themselves when the rotor accelerates. Fixed Angle Rotors hold the tubes in cavities that are bored at a predetermined angle. Zonal rotors have dynamic loading and unloading capability when the rotor spins.

There are several hazards involved in the ultra centrifuge. The tremendous kinetic energy of the rotor, which might cause serious damage in case it fails, is of serious concern. The rotors deteriorate due to constant usage of chemical solutions. The right use of instruments will enable the efficient working and prevent corrosion which is necessary to avoid any hazard which may be encountered.