If I were to tell you that pipettes have changed the scientific world and protected millions of researchers, would you believe it? Although this statement may be exaggerated, as long as you understand the laboratory before the invention of the pipette and see how scientists operated the pipette at that time, you will nod in agreement.



Most of you who have taken laboratory classes during your student days have used droppers with rubber caps. As long as you gently pinch the rubber cap on top, the liquid in the container below will be sucked into the dropper, released and flow back. This method can also be called pipetting, but it is too crude and cannot control the amount of liquid absorbed, which does not meet the requirements of scientific research on sexuality.

So, someone drew inspiration from straws and came up with the idea of using straws to perform liquid transfer operations in the same way as drinking beverages. Researchers have started using glass tubes with graduations, with one end held in the mouth and the other end directly inserted into the liquid. Just stare at the scale and suck as much as you want, it's indeed a lot. However, could the liquid used in the laboratory be any kind of substance? Luckily, they may inhale some harmless substances and only go to the restroom a few times at most. Poor luck, inhaling toxic substances directly, the whole person is not good. Indeed, according to surveys, as of 1915, about 40% of laboratory infections were caused by the use of mouth pipettes. So much so that even today, some laboratory safety operating procedures and exams repeatedly remind people not to use their mouths to transfer liquids. However, this does not prevent some experimenters from still secretly using their mouths, such as in countries where they dance at the slightest disagreement.

At this point, essential readers can already understand why some people say that pipettes are changing the scientific world and protecting researchers. However, this great invention does not actually have a very long history, and it has only been in the laboratory for fifty or sixty years. The pipette appeared as early as 1956, invented by physicist Heinrich Schnitger from the German Institute of Biochemistry. The micro pipette he designed already possesses all the features required by modern micro pipettes. In subsequent work, he also developed chromatographic samples with a volume of less than 1 milliliter and published his invention of a micropipette as a specialist. In 1958, he collaborated with the German company Eppendorf, which launched a button type micropipette and became the world's first company to produce micropipettes. Eppendorf has achieved success in the commercialization of pipettes, developing interchangeable pipette tips made of polyethylene and polypropylene. Today, this Eppendorf company is still active in the field of laboratory instruments, with their pipettes and automatic pipetting systems occupying an important position in China.

While Eppendorf company continued to research and improve pipettes, Labsystem company in Finland invented multiple fixed range pipettes, greatly improving the efficiency of pipetting operations and thus joining the battle of pipettes. Nowadays, Labsystem has become a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the "acquisition maniac", and its sales of multi-channel pipettes remain stable throughout the year. In China, the market share of Finnish Leib pipettes is also very high, and they are very common in major laboratories. In addition, almost at the same time, in the 1970s, the French company Gilson also launched a single channel adjustable range pipette Pipetman, earning the reputation of "the world's best gun". The Pipetman pipette, with its advantages of high accuracy, stability, and durability, has taken the throne in the wind and even held a firm position at one point.

From the late 1960s when it took shape, to the 1970s when it blossomed everywhere, and now moving towards automation, the development of pipettes has made rapid progress. In addition to the brands mentioned above, manufacturers such as Danish CAPP and American RAININ have also gradually developed their own pipette products, gaining a share in the market. On the other hand, most domestic brands mainly imitate imported products. Although they are of good quality and affordable, they lack independent technology and have no say in the market. Some manufacturers even use imported brands and counterfeit their own pipette products from the place of origin.

In the future, laboratory instruments will become even larger, and the demand for pipettes will not decrease. Industry insiders believe that users will be more inclined towards pipette products with lower prices, higher degrees, more powerful functions, and a greater emphasis on humanization. From the design of the core structure, to ensuring overall quality, and to grasping product details, instrument manufacturers need to invest more effort in research. Domestic instrument manufacturers should seize the opportunity, firmly consolidate their advantages in high cost-effectiveness, and move towards the development of pipettes.