Definition

1. Verb:
   • To put back into suspension: To cause solid particles that have settled at the bottom of a liquid to become mixed and evenly distributed throughout the liquid again.

Usage

• The verb resuspend is used primarily in scientific, medical, and laboratory contexts. It describes the specific action of agitating or mixing a solution to redisperse particles that have settled or precipitated. This is a crucial step in many experimental protocols to ensure a homogeneous mixture.

Examples

• Verb:
  • Before taking a sample, gently resuspend the cells by swirling the flask.
  • The protocol instructs you to resuspend the pellet in 5 mL of buffer.
  • Centrifuge the sample and then carefully resuspend the sediment.

Advanced Usage

• "To resuspend a pellet": This is a very common phrase in biochemistry and molecular biology. After centrifugation, solid material forms a "pellet" at the bottom of a tube. "Resuspending the pellet" means adding a liquid and mixing to dissolve or disperse the solid material back into a uniform solution or suspension.

Variants and Related Words

• Suspension (n): A mixture in which fine particles are dispersed throughout a fluid but are not dissolved.
• Resuspension (n): The act or process of putting particles back into suspension.
  • Resuspension of the vaccine is necessary before administration.

Synonyms

• Redisperse: To scatter or distribute particles again.
• Re-mix: To mix again.
• Agitate: To stir or shake vigorously (a more general term that can imply resuspension).

Notes

• Resuspend is a transitive verb; it requires a direct object (you resuspend , like cells, a pellet, or particles).
• The action often involves gentle methods like vortexing, pipetting up and down, or swirling to avoid damaging delicate biological samples.

Verb

1. put back into suspension
   • resuspend particles