Choosing the appropriate pipette tip for your application is crucial to guarantee precise and accurate outcomes. When choosing a pipette, there are a few things to take into account. These include the kind of pipette you're using, the amount of liquid you're moving, the liquid's viscosity, and the purity requirements of the application.

Type of pipette

Positive displacement and air displacement pipettes are the two main varieties. The most common kind of pipette is an air displacement pipette, which aspirates and dispenses liquid by producing a vacuum. Positive displacement pipettes are commonly used to pipette liquids that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or viscous liquids. The pipette works by forcing the liquid through it with the assistance of a piston. Different kinds of pipettes call for various kinds of pipette tips. For instance, positive displacement pipettes require specially designed pipette tips, whereas air displacement pipettes require universal pipette tips.

Volume of liquid

There are various volumes of pipette tips available, ranging from 0.1 µL to 5 mL. Selecting a pipette tip that corresponds with the volume of the liquid being transferred is crucial. An overly large pipette tip can produce inconsistent results, while an undersized tip can make it challenging to aspirate and dispense the required amount of liquid.

Viscosity of the liquid

Choosing an appropriate pipette tip may also be influenced by the liquid's consistency. Viscous liquids are challenging to aspirate and precisely dispense, such as honey or glycerol. A low-retention pipette tip is suggested for viscous liquids. A unique coating on low-retention pipette tips helps to lessen the amount of liquid that sticks to the inside of the tip.

Purity requirements

For some applications, such as molecular biology and cell culture, pyrogen-free, sterile pipette tips are required. Sterile pipette tips do not contain bacteria or other microorganisms, but pyrogen-free pipette tips do contain endotoxins, which are substances produced by bacteria that cause fever.

The factors listed above can help you select the ideal pipette tip for your application and guarantee precise and accurate results.