A micropipette is a laboratory instrument used for precisely and exactly measuring and transferring small volumes of liquid, usually within the microliter vary. Micropipettes have a quantity vary between 1 and 1000 µl, permitting for correct measurement of small quantities of liquids.

Most pipettes are available in three sizes: P-20 for meting out 1-20 μl, P-200 for 20-200 μl vary, and P-1000 for 200-1000 μl vary. The P-20 and P-200 pipets use the identical disposable tip (often yellow) that attaches to the white stem. The P-1000 makes use of a bigger tip (blue).

College students might encounter micropipettes in lab actions that contain DNA and electrophoresis. Micropipettes switch small DNA samples to wells. They could use bigger pipettes for fundamental quantity switch, like the type used within the water strider lab.

Micropipette Method

Utilizing a micropipette could be difficult. There are numerous totally different sizes and designs, however all of them operate in the identical means. In my classroom, I’ve micropipettes that I’ve gathered from donations and bought. Observe: laboratory grade gear could be very costly, however you should buy low cost micropipettes on Amazon. These will work for many issues in a highschool biology lab.

If you wish to give your college students a fundamental information to utilizing a micropipette, you’ll be able to obtain this worksheet (copy to google drive to edit). The primary part clarify learn the machine for p20, p200, and p1000 variations. Usually, those I exploit in school are p20.

The second part outlines the elements of the micropipette and the way to attract and dispense samples. College students be taught to make use of the primary cease to attract within the liquid. Then they use the second cease to expel the liquid. Additionally they discover ways to alter the quantity of the software by rotating the wheel on the machine till the window reads the specified quantity.

This part additionally features a labeling of a micropipette.

A = plunger
B = tip ejector
C = quantity adjustment
D = quantity
E = micropipette tip

The final part features a template for practising micropipette expertise. College students use meals dye to create dots on a paper template. They’ll observe altering the quantity on the machine, mixing liquids, and tip disposal. Place the template in a plastic sleeve for straightforward cleanup.

I’ve dry erase pockets for this and plenty of different initiatives in my classroom. It’s also possible to obtain artwork templates from miniPCR for pupil to get artistic!