How to Pipette Safely

When starting to use pipettes in the laboratory, many people will wonder how can liquid be drawn into pipette safely. When pipette drawing, we must pay attention to our own safety, because many chemical reagents are harmful to the human body, and we must also pay attention not to let the sample damage the pipette. The following content is about how to pipette correctly and safely.

Pipette Drawing Preparation

  • The preparation before pipetting consists of two steps: installing the tip and setting the volume.
  • Never pipette without a tip on the pipette. The correct way to install the tip is to align the body of the pipette vertically with the tip, and while pressing down gently, hold the pipette and turn it left and right to install it. In this way, it can basically be installed tightly.
  • For multi-channel pipettes, you can align the first channel of the pipette with the first pipette tip, insert it obliquely, and shake it back and forth.
  • After installation, you can observe the connection between the suction head and the gun head to ensure that the installation is normal.
  • Before adjusting the volume, make sure that you have selected the pipette with the appropriate volume, and take the pipette with the appropriate volume according to the volume of the solution you need. Please remember to try not to pipette small volumes of liquid with a large volume pipette, otherwise, the accuracy will be affected.
  • When adjusting the range, if you want to adjust from a large volume to a small volume, just adjust it to the right position in normal operation.
  • When adjusting from a small volume to a large volume, first adjust the scale that exceeds the range, and then return to the required volume, so that the accuracy of the measured volume can be guaranteed. During this process, never exceed the maximum value of the pipette, otherwise, it is easy to cause damage.

Pipetting Steps:

How can liquid be drawn into pipette safely?

  • First of all, make sure that you are choosing the right tip again, and then check whether the sample you choose is a liquid with high viscosity, volatility, and corrosiveness, because the pipette is not suitable for the transfer of these types of samples.
  • In order to make the measurement accurate, you can suck and release the liquid about 3 times to pre-wash the suction nozzle before the pipette drawing the liquid officially.
  • It is better to keep the immersion angle of the suction head vertical, and the inclination should not exceed 20 degrees.
  • Depending on the size of the pipette, put the tip vertically about 3mm below the liquid surface, and try to keep the same angle during the suction process.
  • When officially drawing the liquid, press the button with your finger to the first gear, keep the pipette vertical, immerse the pipette in the solution, and then slowly release the button.
  • Be sure to control the expansion and contraction of the spring when absorbing the liquid, and release the thumb slowly and smoothly.
  • After waiting two or three seconds, lift the tip away from the sample, and stop the tip against the wall to make the excess liquid drop outside the tip slide off.

The Final Step

  • The last step is draining and finishing work. When draining, remember to release the control button slowly to drain the solution sample.
  • The steps to officially start the liquid discharge are: first, connect the pipette tip to the inner wall of the target container at a certain angle, and slowly press the control button to the first gear to perform the first liquid discharge operation. After a short pause, press the control knob to the second position to drain the remaining liquid.
  • After the operation is completed, eject the pipette tip and discard it to the recycling place to ensure proper subsequent disposal.
  • After pipetting, remember to adjust the pipette back to the maximum volume, and finally hang the pipette vertically on the pipette stand.

The above is all about how to pipette safely. The operation of the pipette is actually not difficult. As long as you follow the rules of using the pipette and avoid some mistakes, you can complete this basic experimental operation. Practice will also make you more proficient. Hope today’s content is helpful to answer the question about how can liquid be drawn into pipette safely. If you need to buy high-quality pipettes and matching pipette tips, Hawach hopes to get your consultation and trust.