Decantation
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Decantation is a laboratory and industrial method for separating a sediment from a liquid by allowing it to settle and then pouring or siphoning off the supernatant. It is particularly useful for large volumes of liquid or gelatinous, sticky precipitates that clog standard filters. Accelerated decantation can also be achieved through centrifugation, which enhances sedimentation using centrifugal force.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
DECANTATION, a method for separating sediment from a liquid: the sediment is allowed to settle, and the clear liquid is either carefully poured off or (which is more convenient) siphoned off. Decantation is resorted to in cases where the volume of liquid is too large and hinders filtration, as well as in cases of gelatinous, sticky precipitates that clog filter pores. An accelerated method of decantation is centrifugation, in which the effect of gravity, drawing sediment particles to the bottom, is artificially increased by centrifugal force.
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“Decantation.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/decantation/