Meaning & use
pipette
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Meanings
nouncountablechemistrytechnical
A narrow tube, often glass or plastic, used in laboratories to draw up and release a small measured amount of liquid.
Grammar: Often used with a verb like use or fill: use a pipette to add the acid.
Patterns
- a pipette of something
- with a pipette
She drew exactly five milliliters of solution into the pipette.
Students transferred the dye drop by drop with a pipette.
A fresh pipette tip is needed for every sample to avoid contamination.
verbtransitivetechnical
To measure or move a small amount of liquid using a pipette.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a place: pipette the sample into the tube.
Patterns
- pipette something into something
- pipette something off
Pipette two drops of indicator into each flask.
The technician pipetted the serum into a clean well.
Be careful when you pipette strong acids.
Word forms
| plural | pipettes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pipettes |
| past tense | pipetted |
| past participle | pipetted |
| -ing form | pipetting |
Common combinations
- a glass pipette
- A glass pipette must be rinsed well after use.
- a graduated pipette
- The graduated pipette has marks for different volumes.
- fill a pipette
- Fill the pipette just above the line, then release the pressure.
- a disposable pipette
- A disposable pipette saves washing time.
- an automatic pipette
- The lab bought an automatic pipette for repetitive tasks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dropper
- A dropper delivers drops but is not accurate for measuring, whereas a pipette is calibrated.
- burette
- A burette is a longer tube with a tap used to add liquid gradually in titration, while a pipette delivers a set volume.
- syringe
- A syringe has a plunger, while a basic pipette is controlled by suction or a bulb.
Word family
- pipetting noun
- the act of measuring liquid with a pipette
- micropipette noun
- a pipette for extremely small volumes
- pipettor noun
- a device that operates a pipette
Commonly confused: pipette or pipet? pipette or burette?
pipette vs pipet
Pipet is a variant spelling of pipette used mainly in American science writing; they mean the same.
pipette vs burette
A burette releases liquid gradually through a tap; a pipette delivers a single set volume.
Practice
To move exactly 10 mL of solution into a flask, a chemist would most likely use a ___.
Choose one answer.
A pipette measures and transfers a precise liquid volume. A spatula handles solids and a funnel only guides liquid without measuring.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pipette”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.