What term refers to a disposable tip for automated pipettes?

• A. Micropipette Tips
• B. Pipette Aids
• C. Inoculating Loop
• D. Microcentrifuge

Answer: (A)

Micropipette tips are the disposable plastic tips that attach to the end of a pipette. They create a clean, sealed path for drawing up and dispensing liquids, and they’re discarded after each use to prevent cross-contamination and to maintain measurement accuracy. In automated systems, a fresh tip is attached for every transfer, which is crucial because any leftover liquid or tip residue can skew volumes in subsequent steps. These tips come in various sizes and options, including sterile and filtered versions to reduce aerosols and keep samples pure, and low-retention variants for viscous solutions. The other items are not tips: Pipette aids are devices to help manual pipetting, an inoculating loop is used for transferring microorganisms, and a microcentrifuge is a separate instrument for spinning tubes.