Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

• Borosilicate - Tolerates heating and sterilization for lengthy period; subject to scratching and may cloud with strong alkali

  Examples: Pyrex, Klimax
• Aluminosilicate - 6x stronger than borosilicate, resists scratching and alkali attack

  Example: Corex
• Soda-lime glass - Cheapest type of glassware used in clinical chemistry; not suitable for acidic solutions or hot liquids
• Polyethylene (PE) - Used as pipettes, test tubes, beakers, flasks, and containers for reagents and specimens.
• High silica - Heat, chemical, and electrical tolerance with excellent optical properties. Used for high thermal, drastic heat shock, and extreme chemical treatment with acids and alkali

  Example: Vycor
• Soft Glass - Boron free glass

  Flint Glass - Soda lime glass
• Low actinic glass - Reduces light transmission. Used to contain photosensitive substances
• Volumetric Pipette - Most accurate for delivering non-viscous samples
• Ostwald-Folin: Used to deliver viscous fluids
• To Contain Pipettes: Sahli, Lang-levy, and Glass micropipettes

  Blowout Pipettes: Serologic and Ostwald-Folin

  Self-draining Pipettes: Volumetric and Mohr

  Transfer Pipettes: Volumetric and Ostwald-Folin

  Measuring or Graduate Pipettes: Serologic and Mohr
• Serologic - Graduated down to the tip

  Mohr - Graduated between 2 marks
• Blow-out: Characterized by an etched ring or band near the mouth
• Calibration of Semi-automatic pipettes: Every 6 months

  Gravimetric metohd: Weight of distilled water

  Spectrophotometric: Absorbance of Potassium dichromate or p-nitrophenol