Sterilizing Pipette Tips

[IVAN at MNI.lan.mcgill.ca]

>   We have just purchased an Eppendorf repeater pipette and
> were horrified to discover that the tips for most volumes
> are not autoclavable.  The presterilized tips are about 40%
> more expensive which makes them prohibitive for ordinary use.
> We have been experimenting and find that the outside
> (polypropylene) survives fine, but the plunger
> (polyethylene) gets soft but is still usable.  The manufacturer
> claims the accuracy is destroyed, although I can't see why.
>   Has anyone successfully solved this problem.  A previous poster
> said tips could be sterilized by microwaving.  Has anyone else
> tried this, and with the plungers?

Patricia,

I personally don't feel like doing to pipet tips what some people in
my lab do when they want a hot twinkie for a snack, but do you have
access to a gas autoclave system?  We can't autoclave the tips with
any reliability either (it's batch dependent for us) but have been
able to use a sister hospital's gas autoclave.  Works.



- ivan

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Ivan Shaw "The Angel of Death"
Neuroimmunology Unit
Montreal Neurological Institute
Montreal, Canada  H3A 2B4
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Internet e-mail:    Ivan at MNI.LAN.McGill.CA
Telephone:          (514) 398-8534
FAX                 (514) 398-7371