Master Your Challenging Liquids

When working with challenging liquids, its specific physical characteristics may have an impact on the air-cushion of standard pipettes and thus influence precision and accuracy. Therefore, when working with
liquids such as viscous, dense or volatile liquids, special pipetting techniques become essential. A second option is to transfer challenging liquids with positive displacement devices. These instruments can handle
most types of liquid and samples are secured in a syringe-like tip.

Problem Problem Problem

1 Liquid drips out of the tip 2 Aerosol formation 3 Less volume is pipetted than set

Leads to Leads to Leads to

> Inaccurate volume delivery > Contamination of pipette cone and > Inaccurate volume delivery
cross-contamination of samples

Challenging liquid class Challenging liquid class Challenging liquid class

> Volatile > Infectious > Dense
> Toxic

Examples Examples Examples

> Ethanol > Blood > Sulfuric acid
> Low concentrated acetone > Biohazard material > Phosphoric acid
> DNA/RNA in PCR reactions

Explanation Explanation Explanation

High vapor pressure liquids lead to expansion of Aerosols containing contaminated micro-particles High density of the liquid leads to an expanded
the air-cushion which then leads to liquid dripping. can enter the pipette leading to cross-contamination. air-cushion unable to aspirate the correct volume.

What to do with air-cushion pipettes? What to do with air-cushion pipettes? What to do with air-cushion pipettes?
> Prewet tip min. 5 times by repeated aspiration > Use two layered filter pipette tips. > Pipette must be adjusted.
and dispensing. > Disinfect pipette regularly by wiping with
70% ethanol, or autoclaving.

Pipette

Pipette
cone
Filter

Pipette
tip

High vapor pressure liquids drip out of the pipette tip Two-layered filter tips offer a protective barrier against Liquid Pressure Liquid
without pre-wetting. contamination by aerosols. evaporates builds up drips

Problem
4 Liquid remains in the tip Eppendorf Handling Solutions
Leads to inaccurate volume delivery and sample loss Are you working with problem liquids or do
you wish to improve your pipetting skills?
Challenging liquid class Challenging liquid class We are developing products and solutions in
> Viscous > Detergents the areas of Liquid Handling, Cell Handling
and Sample Handling. Reproducible results,
Examples Examples optimized workflows, pipetting skills, and the
> Glycerol > Tween® 20 challenges in cell culture are just a few topics
> Oil > Triton® X-100 presented in this online sphere.

Explanation Explanation
Slow flow behavior of liquid because of high inner Detergents stick to classic plastic surfaces, the
friction of molecules. remaining liquid does not flow down the tip.

What to do with air-cushion pipettes? What to do with air-cushion pipettes?

> Reverse pipetting. > Use ultrahydrophobic
> Slow aspiration & dispensing speed. LoRetention tips.

Maximum recovery with

epT.I.P.S. LoRetention
REST POSITION
1st STOP
2nd STOP

Significant loss of sample

using standard tips

> Learn more about pipetting and have fun as well:

Reverse pipetting shown in 3 steps. Detergents stick to the surface material on the inside of a www.eppendorf.com/pipetting
The blow-out volume is aspirated additionally and remains pipette tip. This liquid cannot be dispensed.
in the tip, so that the set volume is delivered accurately.

Your local distributor: www.eppendorf.com/contact • Eppendorf AG • Barkhausenweg 1 • 22339 Hamburg • Germany • eppendorf@eppendorf.com • www.eppendorf.com
Triton® is a registered trademark of Union Carbide Corporation, USA. Tween® is a registered trademark of Sigma Aldrich, USA. Eppendorf® and the Eppendorf Brand Design are registered trademarks of Eppendorf AG, Germany. All rights reserved, incl. graphics and images. Copyright © 2017 by Eppendorf AG. www.eppendorf.com