A laboratory pipette tip 

A laboratory pipette tip is an important disposable consumable used in combination with a pipette in the laboratory. The following is a detailed introduction:

Definition and Function

• A laboratory pipette tip is a small, usually disposable, plastic product that is attached to the end of a pipette and is used for aspirating and transferring liquids. It is a key component of the pipette, directly in contact with the liquid to be processed. Through the piston movement of the pipette, precise measurement and transfer of different volumes of liquid are achieved, playing a crucial role in various experimental operations.

Material Properties

• Plastic Material: It is generally made of high – quality plastics such as polypropylene (PP). Polypropylene has good chemical stability and is resistant to corrosion by a variety of chemical reagents, ensuring that no chemical reaction occurs when in contact with liquids of different properties, thus not affecting experimental results. At the same time, it has relatively high strength and toughness, is not easily broken, and can withstand certain pressures and mechanical impacts, ensuring safety during use.
• Transparency: Most tips have good transparency, allowing users to clearly observe the position and volume of the liquid when aspirating and transferring it, facilitating accurate operation. For example, in some experiments that require precise control of liquid volume, such as quantitative analysis experiments, transparent tips can help users more accurately determine whether enough liquid has been aspirated.

Design Features

• Various Specifications: Laboratory pipette tips come in a variety of different specifications to meet the needs of different – volume pipettes and experimental requirements. Common specifications include 0.1 – 10 μl, 2 – 20 μl, 10 – 100 μl, 20 – 200 μl, 100 – 1000 μl, etc. Tips of different specifications differ in size and capacity, and their inner diameters and lengths are optimized according to the required capacity to ensure accurate aspiration and dispensing of corresponding volumes of liquid.
• Diverse Shapes: The shape of the tip is usually elongated and tapered or cylindrical. The advantage of a tapered tip is that it can more accurately aspirate small volumes of liquid, and when dispensing the liquid, it can better control the size and shape of the liquid droplets and reduce liquid residue. Cylindrical tips have better stability and accuracy when aspirating larger volumes of liquid and are less prone to generating bubbles. In addition, there are some tips with special shapes, such as wide – mouth tips, which are suitable for aspirating liquids with high viscosity or containing solid particles to prevent clogging.

Application Scenarios

• Chemical Experiments: In chemical analysis experiments, such as acid – base titration and quantitative analysis of substances, laboratory pipette tips are used to accurately measure various chemical reagents, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of experimental results. For example, when determining the concentration of a substance in a solution, it is necessary to use tips to precisely aspirate a certain volume of standard solution and test solution for reaction.
• Biological Experiments: In molecular biology experiments, such as gene cloning, nucleic acid extraction, and protein quantification, tips are essential tools. For example, in the process of nucleic acid extraction, tips are needed to aspirate cell lysis buffer, protease, nuclease and other reagents, as well as to transfer the extracted nucleic acid samples. In cell culture experiments, tips are used to aspirate culture medium, cell suspension, etc., for cell inoculation, sub – culturing and other operations.
• Medical Tests: In hospital laboratories or medical research institutions, they are used for the processing and testing of various clinical samples. For example, in blood tests, tips can be used to aspirate serum, plasma and other samples for biochemical index analysis and immunological testing. In microbial testing, tips are used to aspirate colonies and culture media in petri dishes for the identification of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses and drug – sensitivity tests.