Laboratory pipettes are used to transfer or measure small quantities of liquid (in microliters or milliliters). Laboratory pipettes come in various designs and have different levels of precision and accuracy. Each laboratory pipette is used according to their specific applications.
Below are some of the most used laboratory pipettes today:
Transfer Pipettes
This type is made from a single piece of plastic. The bulb of transfer pipettes can also function as the liquid holding chamber.
Graduated Pipettes
This macro pipette consists of a long tube with a series of graduations. The graduations indicate the different calibrated volumes.
Volumetric Pipettes
This type of pipette is used to measure precisely the volume of a solution. Volumetric pipettes are often used in making laboratory solutions from a base stock. It is also used to prepare solutions for titration.
Electronic Pipettes
Electronic pipettes provide ergonomic benefits especially in applications where repetitive pipetting is required. Electronic pipettes are programmable and carry out many laboratory tasks.
Air Displacement Single-Channel and Multi-Channel Pipettes
Single-channel pipettes are non-disposable instruments that have an air-displacement design. The design allows it to produce accurate measurement results. Multi-channel pipettes on the other hand are somewhat similar to single channels but it would require more than one tip at a time.
Pasteur Pipettes
This type of pipette is made of glass or plastic. However, pasteur pipettes are not calibrated or graduated for any specific volume.