Lab 1: Basic Lab Skills PDF

## Lab 1: Basic Lab Skills ### A. Micropipettes #### Micropipette Use A micropipettor is a precision pump fitted with a disposable tip. The volume it can accurately measure is miniscule. Micropipettors can accurately measure as little as 1 microlitre (µL), which is 1/1000th of a millilitre (mL)....

## Lab 1: Basic Lab Skills ### A. Micropipettes #### Micropipette Use A micropipettor is a precision pump fitted with a disposable tip. The volume it can accurately measure is miniscule. Micropipettors can accurately measure as little as 1 microlitre (µL), which is 1/1000th of a millilitre (mL). The volume of air space in the barrel is adjusted by screwing the plunger further in or out of the chamber. Depressing the plunger displaces the specified volume of air from the chamber and releasing the plunger creates a vacuum, which draws an equal volume of fluid into the tip. Depressing the plunger again then expels the withdrawn fluid. The volume range of micropipettors varies (see Table 1). - Disposable tip - Tip ejector button - Locking tab - Volume adjustment knob and trigger ##### Figure 1. Automatic pipettor, side view. Photo used with permission from K. Curry, Biol. Dept., UVic. #### Table 1. The volume range in microliters that each type of micropipettor can pipette accurately and correct tip identification for each micropipette. | Micropipette | Volume range | Disposable tip colour | |---|---|---| | P10 | 0.5 - 10 µL | white tips | | P20 | 2 - 20 µL | yellow tips | | P200 | 20 - 200 µL | yellow tips | | P1000 | 200 - 1000 µL | blue tips | ## Lab 1: Basic Lab Skills