CLINICAL CHEMISTRY 1 –  for cryogenic (cold/frozen)

procedures.
LABORATORY  Specially formulated to
withstand temperature down to
GLASSWARES & PLASTICWARES -190 degrees Celsius.
 Specimen tubes & test tubes
- For storage, measurement, & containment 3. Polyethylene
a. Disadvantage
Plasticwares  Not suitable when using picric
acid, stains, dyes and proteins.
Advantages Disadvantages  Absorbs stains
Cheaper Evaporation through b. Uses
breathing of plastic  test tubes, bottles, graduated
More Durable Evaporation of dyes, tubes, & stoppers
stains, & proteins 4. Polycarbonate
Preferred for some a. Characteristics
analyses  Very strong plastic but not
chemically-resistant
 Autoclave but with limitations
Glassware  Not for long storage
b. Usable temperature range: -100
- Advantages degrees Celsius to +160 degrees
Celsius
 (some) heating
c. Uses
 Longer storage of some chemicals
 tubes for centrifugation,
graduated cylinders, flasks
NOTE: Class A Glassware – more preferred
5. Teflon
a. Characteristics
Cleaning of plastic/glassware  Almost chemically-inert
 Chemical-resistant
- Those in direct contact with biohazard (ex.
b. Suitable work temperature: -270
Blood) material is usually disposable degrees Celsius to 255 degrees Celsius
- If not disposable, follow proper c. Uses
decontamination protocol  stirring rods, tubing, cryogenic
 Immediate rinsing + washing with vials, bottle cap, & liners
powder/liquid detergent
 Pre-soaking in soapy water NOTE: Strain point – working temperature of glass it
can withstand
Plasticware
General Categories of Glass
Major types of resins used in Clin. Chem Lab:
1. Borosilicate Glass (Kimax/Pyrex)
1. Polystyrene a. Most common type of glass encountered
a. Characteristics in volume measurements
 Rigid b. Composition
 Clear  80% silca
 Not to be autoclaved  13% boric oxide
b. Disadvantage  4% sodium oxide
 Not resistant to most  2-3% aluminum oxide
hydrocarbons, ketones, and c. Characteristics
ROH  High degree of thermal
c. Uses resistance and low coefficient
 capped graduated tubes & test of thermal expansion
tubes  Low alkali content – resistant to
2. Polypropylene alkali corrosion
a. Primary constituent of pipet tips  Free of heavy metals – Mg-
b. Characteristics lime-zinc group of elements,
 Flexible/rigid heavy metals, arsenic and
 Chemical-resistance antimony
 Can be autoclaved d. Uses
c. 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
d. 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
2. Burets
a. Long cylindrical graduated laboratory
glassware with stopcock
 Glass for acid
 Rubber for alkali
b. Extremely accurate in dispensing
aliquots of a solution
c. Generally used for titration purposes
only
3. Volumetric Flask
a. Generally used for
 Preparation of standard
solution
 Measuring liquid volume
accurately
4. Pipets
a. Used to transfer measured volumes of Type
liquid between containers
 Clear/not viscous – lower
meniscus Transfer pipet (or Measuring or
 Cloudy/viscous – upper volumetric) graduated pipet
meniscus Volumetric Serologic
b. Classifies based on:
Ostwald-Folin Mohr
Design = TC vs TD
Pasteur Micropipet

To Contain (TC) To Deliver (TD) Automatic macro- &

micropipet
A.K.A ”rinsed-out Design to drain by
pipets” gravity
- Volumetric or Transfer
Must be refilled and Must be held
rinsed-out with the vertically with the tip  Used to measure and transfer a
appropriate solvent placed against the predetermined volume of liquid
after the initial liquid side of the container  Dispense on volume without further
has been drained from and must not touch subdivisions
the pipet the liquid in it
 Ostwald-Folin Pipet
Ex. Sahli-hemoglobin Ex. Mohr pipet,
pipets & Long-Levy serologic pipet, &  Pasteur Pipet
pipets volumetric transfer
pipet NOTE: The volumetric pipets are always self-
draining; Ostwald-Folin pipets are blowout pipets

NOTE: A TC pipet hold or contains a particular - Measuring or Graduated

volume but does not dispense that exact volume,  Calibrated to distribute fractional
whereas TD pipet will dispense the volume indicated quantity of liquid and principally
used for measurement of reagents
Drainage characteristics
 Mohr Pipet
 No graduations to
the tip
Self-draining pipet Blown-out pipet  Self-draining
pipet
With a single painted With double rings /
at the top frost / etched  Serologic Pipet
Allow to drain by Design to be “blown  Has graduation
gravity out” by pushing air out marks to the tip
of the pipet,  Generally, a
completely emptying it blowout pipet
No frost / etched /
double lines Micropipet
 - With a total volume of less than 1mL
- It may be designed as either a Mohr or
serologic pipet
- Automatic and semi-automatic pipet
- Commonly used in the laboratory

2 Types of Micropipets

a. Air Displacement – disposable,

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