STANDARD
METHODS AND
TECHNIQUES
USED IN
PERFORMING
EXPERIMENTS
A laboratory is a facility
that provides controlled
conditions in which
scientific or technological
research, experiments, and
measurement may be
performed. Laboratory
services are provided in a
variety of settings:
physicians' offices, clinics,
hospitals, and regional and
national referral centers.
LABORATORY
TECHNIQUES
AND METHODS
 Laboratory techniques are
the set of procedures used
on natural sciences such as
chemistry, biology, physics
to conduct an experiment,
all of them follow the
scientific method; while
some of them involve the
use of complex laboratory
equipment from laboratory
glassware to electrical
devices, and others require
more specific or expensive
supplies.
EQUIPMENT AND
SUPPLIES
 Laboratory equipment refers to the
various tools and equipment used by
scientists working in a laboratory: The
classical equipment includes tools such as
Bunsen burners and microscopes as well
as specialty equipment such as operant
conditioning chambers,
spectrophotometers, and calorimeters.
CHEMICAL
LABORATORIES
1. laboratory glassware such as the beaker or reagent
bottle
2. Analytical devices as HPLC or spectrophotometers
MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES
+ LIFE SCIENCE
LABORATORIES
MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES
+ LIFE SCIENCE
LABORATORIES
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
 Autoclaves provide a physical method for
disinfection and sterilization. They work with a
combination of steam, pressure and time.
Autoclaves operate at high temperature and
pressure in order to kill microorganisms and
spores.
 They are used to decontaminate certain
biological waste and sterilize media,
instruments and lab ware. Regulated medical
waste that might contain bacteria, viruses and
other biological material are recommended to
be inactivated by autoclaving before disposal.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
 A microscope is an instrument that is used to magnify
small objects. It is through the microscope’s lenses that
the image of an object can be magnified and observed
in detail. The function of the microscope is to resolve,
or distinguish, fine detail which our eyes alone cannot
perceive.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•Centrifuges are used in various laboratories to
separate fluids, gases, or liquids based on
density. In research and clinical laboratories,
centrifuges are often used for cell, organelle,
virus, protein, and nucleic acid purification.
•An example of centrifuge use in a clinical
setting is for the separation of whole blood
components. Different assays necessitate
serum or plasma, which may be obtained with
centrifugation.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A shaker is a piece of laboratory
equipment used to mix, blend, or agitate
substances in a tube or flask by shaking them.
It is mainly used in the fields
of chemistry and biology.
•A shaker contains an oscillating board that is
used to place the flasks, beakers, or test tubes.
Although the magnetic stirrer has lately come
to replace the shaker, it is still the preferred
choice of equipment when dealing with
large volume substances or when simultaneous
agitation is required.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A pipette (sometimes spelled pipet) is a
laboratory tool commonly used
in chemistry, biology and medicine to transport a
measured volume of liquid, often as a media
dispenser. Pipettes come in several designs for
various purposes with differing levels of accuracy
and precision, from single piece glass pipettes to
more complex adjustable or electronic pipettes.
•Many pipette types work by creating a partial
vacuum above the liquid-holding chamber and
selectively releasing this vacuum to draw up and
dispense liquid. Measurement accuracy varies
greatly depending on the instrument.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•The Thermal Cycler (also known as a
Thermocycler, PCR Machine or DNA Amplifier)
is a laboratory apparatus used to amplify
segments of DNA via the Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR). The device has a thermal
block with holes where tubes holding the PCR
reaction mixtures can be inserted. The cycler
then raises and lowers the temperature of the
block in discrete, pre-programmed steps.
It is an important instrument which is needed
in all the labs working in the field of gene
cloning.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•The Thermal Cycler (also known as a
Thermocycler, PCR Machine or DNA Amplifier)
is a laboratory apparatus used to amplify
segments of DNA via the Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR). The device has a thermal
block with holes where tubes holding the PCR
reaction mixtures can be inserted. The cycler
then raises and lowers the temperature of the
block in discrete, pre-programmed steps.
It is an important instrument which is needed
in all the labs working in the field of gene
cloning.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A Universal testing machine (UTM) is used to
test the mechanical properties (tension,
compression etc.) of a given test specimen by
exerting tensile, compressive or transverse
stresses. The machine has been named so
because of the wide range of tests it can
perform over different kind of materials.
•Different tests like peel test, flexural test,
tension test, bend test, friction test, spring test
etc. can be performed with the help of UTM.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•Ultra-low temperature freezers (or ULT
freezers) range between -30 and -40 degrees
Fahrenheit. Labs and clinics use them to store
drugs, tissue samples, enzymes, and other
biological materials. Obviously, their primary
attribute is in the name. Because they reach
incredibly low temperatures, they’re ideal for
storing specific temperature-sensitive materials.
•Basically, ULT freezers have become essential for clinical environments.
Of course, lab technicians in many fields consider them to be a vital part
of their work and research. Nowadays, with the release of the COVID-19
vaccine, they’re more critical than ever – not to work, but to public health.
There are very specific storage requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine.
While there are three different distributors, each of the vaccines must
remain within temperatures that only ULT freezers are capable of
reaching.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•An incubator is a laboratory tool used to
incubate or breed microorganisms under certain
conditions, like humidity conditions, air
temperature, and various other things that can
affect the growth of microorganisms, so that
these microorganisms can incubate properly.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A bioreactor is a type of fermentation vessel
that is used for the production of various
chemicals and biological reactions.
•Bioreactors are vessels that have been designed
and produced to provide an effective
environment for enzymes or whole cells to
transform biochemicals into products. In some
cases, inactivation of cells or sterilization is
carried out in the bioreactor such as in water
treatment.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A biological safety cabinet (BSC) is a primary
engineering control used to protect personnel
against biohazardous or infectious agents and
to help maintain quality control of the material
being worked with as it filters both the inflow
and exhaust air. It is sometimes referred to as a
laminar flow or tissue culture hood.
•These filtered cabinets are primarily designed to protect
against exposure to particulates or aerosols. A portion of
the air in most BSCs is recirculated back into the lab
through its exhaust HEPA filter. This purifies the air of
potentially infectious aerosols, animal dander, or both but
does not reduce exposure to chemicals.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A DNA sequencer is a scientific
instrument used to automate the DNA
sequencing process. Given a sample of DNA, a
DNA sequencer is used to determine the order
of the four bases: G (guanine), C (cytosine), A
(adenine) and T (thymine).
•This is then reported as a text string, called a
read. Some DNA sequencers can be also
considered optical instruments as they analyze
light signals originating
from fluorochromes attached to nucleotides.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•The purpose of a chemical fume hood is to
prevent the release of hazardous substances
into the general laboratory space by controlling
and then exhausting hazardous and/or odorous
chemicals. In the event of an accidental spill,
the fume hood will contain the spilled
chemicals and exhaust the fumes away from the
user and laboratory zone.
•The laboratory chemical fume hood is the most common local
exhaust ventilation system used in laboratories and is the primary
method used to control inhalation exposures to hazardous
substances. When used properly, fume hoods offer a significant
degree of protection for the user. Understanding the limitations, the
appropriate maintenance techniques, and overall design of the fume
hood will ensure your safety while using hazardous materials
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•An environmental chamber, also called
a climatic chamber or climate chamber, is an
enclosure used to test the effects of specified
environmental conditions on biological items,
industrial products, materials, and electronic
devices and components.
•Such a chamber can be used:
•as a stand-alone test for environmental effects
on test specimens
•as preparation of test specimens for
further physical tests or chemical tests
•as environmental conditions for conducting
testing of specimens
In most climatic chambers, heat is generated by resistive
heating elements. Larger environmental chambers have selfcontained refrigeration systems to provide cold conditions, while
smaller units often rely on external supplies of liquid nitrogen
(LN2) or liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) for cooling.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•A humidifier puts moisture into the air. That
can be especially helpful in winter, when the
weather and indoor heating systems can make
the air dry -- and dry out your eyes, nose, lips,
and skin. You should aim for 30% to 50%
humidity in your home.
•Laboratory humidifiers enhance the level of
humidity in a laboratory which is necessary for
performing a number of tests or tasks. Certain
tests require controlled atmospheric conditions
and desired humidity level. By improving air
quality, these humidifiers assist in performing
experiments and tests in desired atmospheric
conditions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
•Laboratory balances from a general standpoint
measure the mass of an object, in the
laboratory they are used to measure solids,
liquids, tissue, they have a wide range of uses in
virtually any laboratory including clinical,
research and environmental settings.
•Some examples of laboratory balances include
the triple beam balance, analytical balance
(a.k.a. precision balance or chemical balance),
micro and semi-micro balances. These balances
can measure a variety of substances from a
single grain of a chemical solid using a micro
balance to the weight of a large beaker on a
triple beam balance.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
 Reagents trigger chemical reactions. This term
encompasses organic substances that trigger naturally
occurring chains of reactions in the body but also
include inorganic substances that can be used in
artificially triggered reactions.
 Reagents are commonly used to test for the presence
of certain substances, as the binding of reagents to the
substance or other related substances triggers certain
reactions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORIES +
LIFE SCIENCE LABORATORIES
 Reagents trigger chemical reactions. This term
encompasses organic substances that trigger naturally
occurring chains of reactions in the body but also
include inorganic substances that can be used in
artificially triggered reactions.
 Reagents are commonly used to test for the presence
of certain substances, as the binding of reagents to the
substance or other related substances triggers certain
reactions.
 Laboratory equipment is
generally used to either
perform an experiment or to
take measurements and
gather data. Larger or more
sophisticated equipment is
generally called a scientific
instrument.
 The title of laboratory is also used for
certain other facilities where the processes
or equipment used are similar to those in
scientific laboratories. These notably
include:
SPECIALIZED
TYPES
 Film laboratory or Darkroom
 Clandestine lab for the production of illegal
drugs
 Computer lab
 Crime lab used to process crime scene
evidence
 Language laboratory
 Medical laboratory (involves handling of
chemical compounds)
 Public health laboratory
 Industrial laboratory
 Cleanroom