Labs
Lab writeups:
In this group lab, we practiced pipetting and serial dilutions using food coloring and a mystery substance (MS) to build confidence with liquid handling and concentration concepts. For the color-mixing portion, the original microliter volumes were scaled up to 5 mL due to the size of our tubes, and we used plastic pipettes instead of micropipettes to transfer the solutions. Red, yellow, and blue solutions were mixed in different combinations to observe color changes, and plastic cups were used in place of petri dishes for plating and visualization. In the second part of the lab, we performed a serial dilution of MS to obtain a final concentration of 100 µM, mixing thoroughly after each step and labeling each tube with its concentration. Using the 100 µM solution, we then prepared a 60 µL final reaction based on our pre-lab calculations and carefully loaded 20 µL into a pre-prepared gel well. Overall, this lab helped us understand unit conversions, practice accurate pipetting techniques, and work collaboratively to prepare solutions with specific concentrations.