liquid handling
A glossary of liquid-handling terms
Separate the liquid-handling terms people mix up, from blow-out and pre-wetting to systematic error, tip fit, and the Z-factor.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
Tag
pipetting
Articles tagged pipetting. Tags group methods across clusters so a technique can be found from more than one route.
All topicsBuffers and laboratory water26Cell culture26Chromatography26Cold chain and sample storage26Cytometry and microscopy26DNA sequencing26Gels and blotting26Gene expression26Genome editing26Immunoassays26Laboratory labware26Laboratory safety26Liquid handling26Microbiology26Molecular cloning26Nucleic acid purification26PCR and amplification26Protein biochemistry26Proteomics26Research sourcing and study design26
cold chainbiosafetycrisprspecificationsequencingproteomicsenquiryglossarytroubleshootingcloningmicrobiologybuffersfreezerspipettingcalibrationelisacell cultureglassware
13 articles
Pillar · liquid handling
Accurate micropipetting technique
How an air-displacement micropipette delivers a volume, how forward pipetting uses the two stops, and why temperature belongs in the result.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
liquid handling
Comparing manual and automated handling
See which variances a liquid handler removes and which tip, clot, dead-volume, and deck errors it adds, then plan the check.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Ergonomics and repetitive pipetting
Plan posture, thumb force, and breaks for a long pipetting session, and report pain as an occupational issue for the institution.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
liquid handling
Forward and reverse pipetting
Choose forward pipetting for aqueous liquids and reverse pipetting when the liquid foams, clings, or evaporates, and do not mix the strokes in one check.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
liquid handling
Multichannel technique on a 96-well plate
Compare single-channel and multichannel work on a 96-well plate, including tip seating, depth, angle, and the bias a loose tip leaves.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Plate maps so a robot and a person agree
Compare a human plate map with a robot deck map so well identity, A1 orientation, replicates, and controls stay the same.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Pre-wetting tips and volatile solvents
See why pre-wetting saturates the air cushion, why ethanol-class solvents still drip, and when positive displacement is the better class.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Small volumes near the bottom of the range
Diagnose noisy results at the bottom of a pipette range, move to a lower-range instrument, and watch pre-wetting and the first stop.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Temperature of the liquid changes the volume
Equilibrate cold liquids and warm pipettes before you trust an air-displacement volume, and separate that error from a weighing drift.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
liquid handling
Training a new student without blaming the kit
Define the stops, tip seating, angle, pre-wet, and balance check a new student must show before a reagent kit is blamed.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
liquid handling
Troubleshooting scattered replicates
Name the technique, tip, temperature, mixing, and evaporation causes of scattered replicates, and what a method specification should record.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read