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Which cellular organelle would be concentrated at the top of the centrifuged mixture after centrifugation of cells containing a solution?
(A)Nuclei
(B)Endoplasmic reticulum
(C)Mitochondria
(D)Ribosomes
(E)Membrane-bound proteins

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Last updated date: 17th Sep 2024
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Hint: The cellular organelle from the above options which would be concentrated at the top of the centrifuged mixture after centrifugation of cells containing solution is the membrane-bound cell organelles that work to generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell's biochemical reactions.

Complete answer: Centrifugation of cells is a sedimentation process which is used to separate certain organelles for analysis of specific parts of cells. a sample of tissue is lysed to interrupt the cell membranes and blend up the contents of the cell. However, while the procedures may break many of the membranes of the cell including the cell membrane and endoplasmic reticulum, it leaves certain organelles like mitochondria, nuclei, Golgi body, peroxisomes, and lysosomes intact during a homogeneous extract. During the process, particles of various densities or size sediment at different rates. The most important and most dense particle sediments are first followed by less dense and smaller particles. This tells us that the cellular organelle targeting the highest of the centrifuged mixture is going to be the mitochondria thanks to its less density and little size.

Additional Information: Centrifugation is known to be a technique that is commonly used for the separation of different particles from a solution according to their size, shape, density, the viscosity of the medium, and rotor speed. The particles are suspended in a liquid medium and placed in an exceedingly centrifuge tube. The tube after that is placed in a rotor and spun at a decided speed. The separation through sedimentation can also be done naturally with the help of the gravity of the earth, nevertheless, it might take ages. By centrifugation we can make that natural process much faster. The rotation of the rotor about a central axis helps to generate a centrifugal force upon the particles within the suspension.

So, the correct answer is ‘Mitochondria’.

Note: The word mitochondria are taken from the Greek word, mitos, which means "thread", and chondrion, "granule" or "grain-like". Mitochondria is the organelle that generates most of the cell's supply of ATP, used as a source of energy. A mitochondrion is also commonly known as the powerhouse of the cell.