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Pipetting aids

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dooby

dooby

Rising Star
Hello,

No, I did not contract an STD from using my pipette ;)

That being said, I am currently using a rubber pipetting aid:

It degrades from the solvent fumes and I'm not sure if this is a possible source of contamination (I sometimes squeeze the suction valve then squeeze the ball to squirt out the solvent)...

Which makes me wonder if one of these
would be any better/safer as far as reducing risk of contamination is concerned?

If not, I'm open to suggestions for alternative pipetting aids - but not one of those 500 euro electronic "guns" ;)
 
If you are using it for DMT extractions (for smoking or oral) I wouldn't worry about contamination to be honest, I would just make sure not to overfill the pipete so liquid doesn't touch the ball, I have been doing it like that with no fumes reaching the rubber.
 
One of those 500€ electronic guns! 😁 They are very reliable and precise 😉
I don't like working with these plastic things. They tend to have some issues like loosing pressure or getting stuck. Also I can be much more precise with the rubber ball and it works much more intuitive. They are IMO the best cheap ones and they are all over most of the labs. Just beware to not get liquid into the ball.
 
I always simply put a bit of tubing on the end of a plastic syringe.
A syringe with twice the volume of the intended pipette seemed ideal for me so my thumb wouldnt have to go too far out there, tho a 1 ml syringe on a 1 ml pipette gave very precise control.
Advantages are you can see inside the syringe and thus spot any contams building up, you can clean inside the syringe and actually dry it, theyre piss cheap and thus its easier to justify having several and it wont make you delay throwing out a questionable unit.
Disadvantages? Unlike the rubber bulb ones, if you paint a syringe and use it as a christmas tree ornament people will look at you oddly. That, and there might be an issue with some solvents.
 
I would not recommend using any rubber or plastic that is going to come into contact with solvents, even HDPE. Solvents (even VM&P naphtha) will degrade plastic and rubber and leave undesirable impurities in the final product, even if the damage to the plastic/rubber is not visible to the naked eye. Glass is the way to go.
 
I had no idea these existed. This would have helped me so much. These damn store pipettes DO loose suction and spill out liquid and such. Really a mess..

But now.. The future is here. :roll:
 
Entheogenerator said:
I would not recommend using any rubber or plastic that is going to come into contact with solvents
Click to expand...
They should never come into contact with solvents or reagents, thats not what pipette bulbs, etc are for.
When I've seen them die its usually been when a student sucks solvent into one, a chemist or lab tek wouldnt do that because its abuse of the equiptment. Tho I have seen some go crunchy or have O-rings fail because of people (not all of them students) not airing out the unit after using it with solvents.

Dont suck junk into your ball.
 
Glass turkey baster. Cost me hardly any money and works like a charm. Can't say the "micro pipette controller" doesn't look appealing, because it does... however, I don't have £40 to spend on such an apparatus.
 
I like a glass syringe and a 100mm stainless steel needle for most operations, it works very well when a layer to be separated is quite thin.
 
takes time but no 'extra' basemix once you get down there.

- 10ml pipette
- a small plastic syringe to get the last few drops
- and a Rossi glass wine jug with thin neck (perfect for extractions and getting all the naphtha off due to the thin neck at the top which can hold 80ml or so of naphtha.

<3 tat
 
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