The most common pipetting errors
The most common pipetting errors can be detected by observing the pipetting technique.
14. 09. 2018
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14. 09. 2018
- Uneven pressure on the pipette button (piston movement), which causes the captured volume to be greater than the set volume.
- Uneven rhythm and pipetting time interval. In case of too slow pipetting, heat the pipette by hand, which causes the volume to be lower than set. Too fast pipetting leads to incomplete aspiration.
- Unsaturation of the pipette and pipette tip leads to increased evaporation of the medium, which means an increase in the volume of the air column above the medium.
- Wrong wiping of the pipette tip causes the pipetting to be incomplete, as liquid remains in the pipette tip.
- Wrong aspiration angle causes the water column in the nozzle to be lower and consequently the volume larger than the set one.
- Deep immersion of the nozzle during aspiration leads to increased hydrostatic pressure of the medium, which pushes the medium back into the pipette nozzle.
- Operation with aggressive chemicals requires special cleaning after using the pipette, which must be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Leakage of the pipette tip means that the tip is not firmly attached to the pipette tip and not the test tip, or the pipette tip is damaged.
All these errors can be detected by observing the pipetting technique.
If you want to improve your pipetting technique and reduce the number of errors, we invite you to join us in the practical training “Everything you need to know about pipetting”.