Pipettes

Dr. Jane Smith gestures at the diverse array of pipettes arranged neatly on the lab bench. 

Dr Smith: ‘Pipettes are indispensable tools in any laboratory setting, as they allow us to transfer liquids with remarkable precision and accuracy. While this might seem straightforward, using them correctly is foundational to obtaining reliable data.”

You raise your hand, intrigued. ‘Are all pipettes the same?’

‘An excellent question!’ Dr. Smith acknowledges warmly, pointing to different pipettes on display. “In fact, pipettes come in many varieties, each suited for different tasks. Today, we’ll concentrate on an essential type: the air displacement pipette. A familiar example you might have heard of is the Gilson pipette.”

Air Displacement Pipettes, Electronic Pipette, Pasteur Pipettes (Wikimedia Commons)

She puts on her gloves, demonstrating proper lab safety, and picks up one of the pipettes. Let’s start by identifying the different parts of the pipette.’

Dr Smith: ‘Before we begin, I want each of you to think about the first necessary step in using a pipette.’