GLASSWARES AND PLASTICWARES

(Clinical Chemistry 1 -
Lab)

GLASSWARES & PLASTICWARES

→ For storage, measurement, & containment

Plasticwares
01/22/2023
Advantages Disadvantages
Cheaper Evaporation through
breathing of plastic
More Durable Evaporation of dyes,
stains, & proteins
Preferred for some
analyses

2. Polypropylene
Glassware
a. Primary constituent of pipet tips
- Advantages b. Characteristics
 (some) heating  Flexible/rigid
 Longer storage of some  Chemical-resistance
chemicals  Can be autoclaved
c. Uses
NOTE: Class A Glassware – more preferred  for cryogenic (cold/frozen)
procedures.
Cleaning of plastic/glassware  Specially formulated to
withstand temperature
- Those in direct contact with biohazard down to -190 degrees
(ex. Blood) material is usually Celsius.
disposable.  Specimen tubes & test
- If not disposable, follow proper tubes
decontamination protocol 3. Polyethylene
 Immediate rinsing + washing with a. Disadvantage
powder/liquid detergent  Not suitable when using
 Pre-soaking in soapy water picric acid, stains, dyes
and proteins.
Plasticware  Absorbs stains
Major types of resins used in Clin. Chem Lab: b. Uses
 test tubes, bottles,
1. Polystyrene graduated tubes, &
a. Characteristics stoppers
 Rigid 4. Polycarbonate
 Clear a. Characteristics
 Not to be autoclaved  Very strong plastic but not
b. Disadvantage chemically-resistant
 Not resistant to most  Autoclave but with
hydrocarbons, ketones, and limitations
ROH  Not for long storage
c. Uses b. Usable temperature range: -100
 capped graduated tubes & degrees Celsius to +160 degrees
test tubes Celsius
c. Uses
 tubes for centrifugation,
graduated cylinders, flasks
5. Teflon
a. Characteristics
 Almost chemically-inert
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 Chemical-resistant
b. Suitable work temperature: -270
degrees Celsius to 255 degrees
Celsius
c. Uses
General Categories of Glass
1. Borosilicate Glass (Kimax/Pyrex)
a. Most common type of glass encountered in
volume measurements
b. Composition
 80% silca
 13% boric oxide
 4% sodium oxide
 2-3% aluminum oxide
c. Characteristics
 High degree of thermal resistance and
low coefficient of thermal expansion
 Low alkali content – resistant to alkali
corrosion
 Free of heavy metals – Mg-lime-zinc
group of elements, heavy metals,
arsenic and antimony
d. Uses
 Heating – open flame or electric
heating elements
e. Precautions
 Storing concentrated alkali solutions
will etch/destroy the calibration
 Heavy-walled type of glass should not
be heated with direct flame or hotplate
 Avoid heating beyond its strain point
a. Popular brands
 Pyrex – strain point is 515 degrees
Celsius (Henry)
 Kimax – strain point is 513 degrees
celsius
2. High Silica Glass
a. Also a borosilicate glass
b. Silica fused to quartz
c. More expensive gthan borosilicate glass
d. Use
 Spectrophotometer cuvettes
3. Alumina-Silicate Glass (Corex)
a. Also known as aluminosilicate glass
b. With aluminum oxide
c. Strengthened chemically rather than thermally
 Greater chemical durability and can
withstand higher operating
temperatures
 Are more difficult to fabricate
d. Can be used as resistors for electronic circuitry
when coated with an electrically conductive film
e. High-impact, extremely strong glass
 Common use: manufacture of
calibrated centrifuge tubes
f. Corex
 Radiation- resistant
 6x stronger than borosilicate (outlast
conventional glassware by 10-fold)
 Resist clouding and scratching better
g. Uses
 High-precision analytical work
 Optical reflector and mirrors
NOTE: Not used as general type of glassware in the
laboratory
4. Acid & Alkali resistant (Vycor)
a. Boron-free
b. Also known as soft glass
c. Vycor (No.7900)
 Made up of fused silica
 2 in 1 characteristics (heat-resistant
and chemically inert)
 Stable to all acids except hydrofluoric
types
 Superior in resisting corrosion by
alkali than borosilicate glass
 Unlikely contamination by contact with
solutions
 Relatively inert to acids and neutral
salts
 Chlorine and acid gases does not
affect it at any temperature
 Withstand high temperature (1200
degrees Celsius) while softening
temperature is 1500 degrees Celsius
 Withstand downshocks from this
temperature to ice water
d. Use
 Ashing and ignition techniques
5. Low Actinic Glass (amber-colored)
a. Contain materials that usually impart amber to
red color to the glass
 Reduces the amount of light
transmitted to the substance in the
glassware
b. Common uses:
 For light-sensitive substance: Bilirubin
& Vitamin A
 Store control materials and reagents
6. Soda-Lime Glass
a. Also known as flint glass
b. Composition
 Soda = sodium oxide
 Lime = calcium oxide
c. Most inexpensive glass
d. Readily made into variety of types of glassware
e. Has a high-expansion coefficient & high degree
of thermal resistance
f. Minerals can be leached from the glass into the
stored solutions
g. Common uses
 Volumetric flasks, stirring rods, &
single-use pipets or test tubes
7. Disposable glassware
Measuring Vessels
1. Graduated Cylinder
a. Semi-accurate
b. Extremely convenient for rapid measurement
of liquid;
c. Should never be heated
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 2. Burets
a. Long cylindrical graduated laboratory
glassware with stopcock Type
 Glass for acid
 Rubber for alkali
b. Extremely accurate in dispensing aliquots of a Transfer pipet (or Measuring or
solution volumetric) graduated pipet
c. Generally used for titration purposes only Volumetric Serologic
3. Volumetric Flask
a. Generally used for Ostwald-Folin Mohr
 Preparation of standard solution
 Measuring liquid volume accurately Pasteur Micropipette
4. Pipets
a. Used to transfer measured volumes of liquid Automatic macro- &
between containers micropipette
 Clear/not viscous – lower meniscus
 Cloudy/viscous – upper meniscus - Volumetric or Transfer
b. Classifies based on:  Used to measure and transfer a predetermined
volume of liquid
Design = TC vs TD
 Dispense on volume without further subdivisions
 Ostwald-Folin Pipet
To Contain (TC) To Deliver (TD)  Pasteur Pipet
A.K.A ”rinsed-out Design to drain by
pipets” gravity NOTE: The volumetric pipets are always self-draining;
Must be refilled and Must be held Ostwald-Folin pipets are blowout pipets
rinsed-out with the vertically with the tip
- Measuring or Graduated
appropriate solvent placed against the
after the initial liquid side of the container  Calibrated to distribute fractional quantity
has been drained from and must not touch of liquid and principally used for
the pipet the liquid in it measurement of reagents
Ex. Sahli-hemoglobin Ex. Mohr pipet,  Mohr Pipet
pipets & Long-Levy serologic pipet, &  No graduations to the tip
pipets volumetric transfer
 Self-draining pipet
pipet
 Serologic Pipet
 Has graduation marks to
NOTE: A TC pipet hold or contains a particular volume but the tip
does not dispense that exact volume, whereas TD pipet will  Generally, a blowout
dispense the volume indicated pipet
Drainage characteristics
Micropipette

- With a total volume of less than 1mL

Self-draining pipet Blown-out pipet - It may be designed as either a Mohr or serologic
With a single painted With double rings / pipet
at the top frost / etched - Automatic and semi-automatic pipet
Allow to drain by Design to be “blown - Commonly used in the laboratory
gravity out” by pushing air out
of the pipet,
completely emptying it
No frost / etched /
double lines

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2 Types of Micropipettes

a. Air Displacement – disposable, polypropylene tip

b. Positive Displacement – use of capillary tip
(siliconized, glass, plastic)

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