Safety first!

 - Use Gloves

 - don't put anything in your mouth in the lab

 - Use a safety Visor when the UV light is on for visualizing the gel

 - heat! - when handling hot things, use approrpiate mitts, glove and carry trays. 

- Safety Data Sheets (SDS) will be available for all chemical used

- a word about aerosols - when preparing mixes (for advanced learners), do so in a hood or a separate space as aerosols from you target DNA can really float around. PCR is THAT sensitive that you will detect any little bit. Along the same lines, wearing a mask is a good idea, if you don't have a hood, because you might end up contaminating the DNA or reaction mix from a sniffle or accidental cough. 

Pipetting 

- be sure you know how to use a micropipettor before you start

 - we will have visual guides to help you see if you are performing this correctly. 

 - use filter tips if possible, to prevent aerosols from going up inside the pipette which can lead to cross contamination. 

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thanks to Andy Connelly for this pic: https://andyjconnelly.wordpres...

Above is an example of an air displacement pipettor. These are most commonly used for non-viscous liquids and come in many varieties/brands. They are good for 0.1 uL to 10 mL, with each pipettor having an optimal range. They need to be kept clean always, and calibrated at least yearly.

So, how does it work? 

First, note there are three positions in a pipettor. Upper stop, First stop and Second stop. 

Second note that this image has a pipette tip on it already. These come in boxes and tips are different for different size pipettors. 

When you push down the plunger (orange in the pic above) to the First Stop, the piston is depressed and air is displaced from the inside of the pipette.

On release of the button the spring pushes the plunger back up to the Upper stop, and so a pressure drop is produced inside the body and tip of the pipette. The allows liquid to move up into the pipette tip. 

This liquid can then be dispensed out into a different vessel by depressing the plunger button again, but this time, all the way down to the Second Stop.

In order to see if you are doing this correctly, a to-scale laminated pictures of pipette tips with different volumes, volumes of liquid pipetted onto a surface.  This sheet has been provided in the kit so that you can determine if the amounts you are pipetting are close to accurate. We will be providing some pipette tips to allow for direct comparison.