Laboratory pipettes are an essential piece of equipment in any scientific or medical laboratory. They are used to accurately measure, transfer, and dispense liquids, making them a vital part of the laboratory process.
But with so many different types and styles of pipettes available, how do you know which one is right for your lab?
To help you find the right laboratory pipettes, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to everything you need to consider when purchasing new pipettes and how to keep them in great condition
What Is a Pipette?
A pipette is an essential laboratory tool used to transport small amounts of liquid accurately and precisely. The most common type of pipette is a volumetric pipette, which has a calibrated capacity and delivers solutions with accuracy up to 0.1%.
There are also other types of manual or electronic pipettes designed for special purposes such as dispensing reagents or transferring microliters of samples into test tubes.
Choosing the Right Pipette for Your Lab
The first step in selecting the right pipette for your lab is understanding what type of pipette you need.
Each type of pipette offers specific features suited to different applications. Here are some of the most common types of laboratory pipettes available:
- Manual Single Channel Pipettes: These are ideal for quick, precise sample transfers and come in both adjustable and fixed volume formats. They are typically made from stainless steel or plastic, depending on their intended use.
- Multichannel Pipettes: Multichannel laboratory pipettes allow you to transfer multiple samples simultaneously with just one press of a button. They are great for large volume sample transfers, such as cell culture mediums or reagent solutions.
- Electronic Pipettes: Electronic models offer greater accuracy than manual ones and provide a consistent volume each time they’re used. This makes them perfect for high throughput applications like PCR assays or ELISAs.
Maintaining Your Laboratory Pipettes
It’s also important to keep laboratory pipettes in top condition so that it can perform optimally each time it is used. The following tips will help you maintain your laboratory pipette properly:
- Clean regularly with water and detergent: Regular cleaning with water and detergent is essential to ensure that no contaminants get into your samples when transferring liquids. Make sure you rinse thoroughly after each cleaning session to remove any residue that may be left behind by the detergent solution.
- Check calibration regularly: Calibration should be checked at least once every six months in order to ensure accuracy when using your lab equipment; if there is any discrepancy between what is expected and what actually occurs when using the equipment then this could lead to incorrect results being obtained from tests conducted in the laboratory setting . Calibration should be done by an experienced technician who has been trained in this area specifically in order to avoid any potential errors during testing procedures.
- Store correctly: It is important that all laboratory equipment, including pipettes , are stored correctly at all times . This means keeping them away from direct sunlight as well as heat sources such as radiators . Additionally , it is also important that these items remain dust free – if necessary , cover them with protective clothes or bags until they are required again .
Conclusion
Laboratory pipettes are an essential piece of equipment in any scientific or medical laboratory setting as they help accurately measure, transfer, and dispense liquids during experiments or tests conducted by researchers or doctors alike.
Knowing how to choose and maintain your laboratory pipettes is key in ensuring accuracy over time; this blog post has offered a definitive guide on how to do just that! Whether it’s a manual or electronic model you decide upon for your lab’s needs, having reliable equipment that has been properly maintained is essential for obtaining accurate results every single time!