Pipette

How it is used

Most labs use adjustable micropipettes with disposable tips, with volumes set in microliters (µL). Common phrases: pipette tip, change tips, pipette up and down to mix. Glass serological and Pasteur pipettes are also used. American English also spells it pipet.

Example sentences

1. Pipette 10 µL of each sample into the wells and change the tip every time.

2. Calibrate your pipettes regularly, or your volumes will not be accurate.

Common collocations

• pipette tip
• micropipette
• pipette up and down
• serological pipette
• Pasteur pipette

Related terms

• PCRShort for polymerase chain reaction, a lab technique that makes millions of copies of a chosen piece of DNA in a few hours through repeated cycles of heating and cooling.
• centrifugeA machine that spins samples at high speed so that heavier particles move to the bottom of the tube. As a verb, it means to spin samples in this machine.
• aseptic techniqueA set of working methods that stop unwanted microorganisms from contaminating cultures, samples, equipment or the person doing the work.
• cultureA population of microorganisms or cells grown in the lab in a nutrient medium under controlled conditions. As a verb, it means to grow them in this way.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• pipette · Genetics & Biotechnology
• pipette · Chemistry

More terms: Laboratory Work and Techniques

• microscope
• gel electrophoresis
• petri dish
• incubate