Five pipetting tips to improve your pipetting accuracy

Release time:

2023-03-23

Good pipetting practice, complemented by low adsorption pipette tips, can MAXIMALLY reduce the risks associated with pipetting workflow and improve the accuracy of pipetting and experimental data errors.

Five pipetting tips to improve your pipetting accuracy

1. Incorrect depth of entry

Correct depth of entry* can improve accuracy by up to 5%. Pipette tips should be 1-2 mm deep for micro pipettes and up to 3-6 mm deep for high-volume pipettes*, depending on tip size. If the tip is too deep, the air pressure in the tip will increase, resulting in excessive aspiration of liquid.

2. Incorrect pipetting angle

The angle of entry of your pipette tip into the sample should be as close to 90 degrees as possible, and no more than 20 degrees off from vertical. Too large an angle may cause too much liquid to be drawn into the pipette tip, resulting in inaccurate pipetting. For example, at an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical, up to 0.7% of the liquid can be over-aspirated.

3. Inconsistent dispensing

High accuracy and sample-to-sample reproducibility is achieved by ensuring* that the remaining droplets are completely dispensed rather than adhering to the front of the pipette tip. For most applications, it is recommended that the tip front be used to dispense along the vessel wall, as this reduces or eliminates the amount of sample remaining in the tip. This technique can improve accuracy by 1% or more.

4. Miswetting

When dispensing liquids with a pipette, a layer of liquid will coat the inside of the tip, resulting in a slightly smaller amount of liquid being discharged than required. Prewash the new tip at least twice with the liquid to be used and adjust the inside of the tip. If you use a BIOINSPL low-absorption tip, you can avoid liquid hanging on the wall during dispensing and improve accuracy by 3% or more.

5. Inconsistent pipetting rhythm

A consistent pipetting rhythm should be maintained between all samples. Avoid rushed or fast operations and master the rhythm of each step in the pipetting process.

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