Serial Dilutions
Serial dilutions are one of the most commonly used applications in the lab. The user pipettes a concentrated sample into a desired location and fills a series of additional locations with a fixed amount of diluent. A fixed amount of the concentrated sample is aspirated and mixed with the first location containing diluent. The same amount of this mixture is then aspirated and mixed with the next location containing diluent. This procedure is continued until a range of decreasing concentration of sample is produced. The number of samples that are handled per step depends on the number of available pipette channels. The rate of decrease in concentration through the series depends on the relative amount of sample aspirated compared to the amount of diluent in the next location. The most common case, a 2X serial dilution, is the case in which both volumes are the same.
Automating Serial Dilutions
Lab Automation is perfectly suited for simplifying serial dilutions, and at the same time assuring maximum accuracy. A multi-channel SOLO Automated pipettor can carry out serial dilutions of 8 or 12 samples at a time, depending on the number of channels being employed. Combining SOLO automated pipettor with the Micro10x reagent dispenser which can greatly increase the speed of diluent addition.