3. Different types of pipettes

3.1 Single-channel manual pipettes

Manual pipettes with adjustable volumes generally cover the range from 0.1 µL to 5 mL. For smaller volumes, surface forces become dominant, for larger volumes the weight of the liquid column becomes too great. The pipettes should meet the needs of people who have to pipette very frequently with manual pipettes (fatigue) and who have to master delicate situations (one-handed handling). Accuracy, robustness and ergonomics are the main criteria defining the quality of a pipette.

The components of a modern pipette are shown in figure 2 :

• large, rounded pipetting button to prevent...