Sonication

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Sonication is act of applying sound (usually ultrasound) energy to achieve various purposes. In the laboratory, sonication is usually applied through a "sonicator" - a bath of water through which sound is transmitted. Depending on the model, the bath may be heated to various temperatures.

Sonication helps to agitate the particles within the vessel being sonicated. This may be used to speed the dissolution of certain substances in a solvent. This is especially helpful when physically stirring is not possible, such as the case for NMR tubes. It may also be used to provide the energy for certain chemical reactions to proceed. In biological applications the addition of sound energy may be sufficient to disrupt or deactivate various biological materials.

Sonication is also able to loosen particles adhering to the vessel's wall. Instead of scraping the particles off the wall with a spatula, it may be easier to sonicate the vessel. This effect is often used to loosen hard to remove dirt as a cleaning step. Outside the field of laboratory science, sonicating baths are used to clean objects such as spectacles and jewelry.

Sonication can also refer to buzz pollination - the process that bees use to shake pollen from flowers by vibrating their wing muscles.