Sample Loss Reduced By Low Retentive Pipette Tips

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 24 Oct 2011

Ultra Low Retention tips have been introduced that are ideal for biological samples that contain detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

The Ultra-hydrophobic tips feature a patented surface treatment to make the polypropylene of the pipette tips extremely liquid repellent thus reducing costly sample loss during pipetting.

The special patented process does not use coatings that might lead to sample contamination. The highly homogeneous surface is free of defect sites, preventing nonspecific binding and the high chemical resistance is ideal for working with solvents. Limited volume samples, costly enzymes and reagents, and foaming liquids all need to be pipetted with high precision. However, close inspection of conventional pipette tips reveal that fluid droplets or a thin film of liquid remains in the pipette tip after dispensing. Significant factors leading to these residues are the different surface energy components and molecular composition of the pipette tips and the sample being pipetted.

In biological applications, such as polymerase chain reactions (PCR), polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) or many other areas of protein chemistry, the sample must often be treated with detergent. An exact appraisal of the behavior of polypropylene surfaces in these applications is complicated. Detergents, such as Triton X-100 and Tween, significantly decrease the surface tension of liquids, which hinders the optimal dispensing of the liquid from the pipette tip and diminishes pipette performance.

The ultra-hydrophobic pipette tips and filtered pipette are manufactured by BRAND Scientific Inc. (Essex, CT, USA). The surfaces of these Ultra Low Retention tips are produced through a special, patented physiochemical process. The homogeneous, defect-free surface produced has extremely low surface tension. This significantly reduces sample loss and provides substantially higher reproducibility when working with critical media. The tips can be autoclaved.

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BRAND Scientific Inc.