Next Day Science Blog

Cell culture plates are used in laboratories to provide optimum conditions for cell culture. A cell culture plate provides the right conditions for the growth of cell cultures. They are usually transparent to allow visual assaying, and the dishes can be either V-shaped, flat, or round at the bottom. They often have lids to protect the samples which might be placed in multiple wells for storage, experimentation, and screening.

While not all cell types require cell culture plating and can grow well in a liquid suspension, others called adherent cells need a surface onto which to latch. Most cells that have been sampled from solid tissues are adherent, so require a cell culture plate for growth and observation.

Spreaders, often known as cell spreaders, are tools used in the laboratory that allow for samples to be smoothly spread onto a petri-dish or plate.  Chiefly used in the biological field with cell and bacterial samples, spreaders are made in three main shapes: the L-shape, the T-shape, and the triangular shape.

They are manufactured from various materials, depending on their function. These materials include glass, metal, or even plastic these days. Each of these materials has distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Glass, for example, can easily be sterilized for reuse time and time again. On the downside, though, glass is fairly easy to break. Broken glass, in turn, poses a potential danger to researchers in the laboratory. On the other hand, plastic does not need sterilization because these spreaders come ready-sterilized.

You should concern yourself when you work in laboratories, especially if you use solutions and chemicals. Containers for these chemicals should be safe for handlers. This is important to avoid any incidents that can cause injuries.

Laboratories have been relying for decades on glass bottles because they are resistant to most solutions and chemicals. However, they break easily. This property could be a safety risk, especially if their contents are dangerous. The advent of plastics has given us plastic bottles, which is a very safe alternative. These cost much less than glass bottles. Their proper care and use can give you years of dependable performance.

Glass out-performs plastic with its high chemical resistance against many substances, including acids, alkalis, organic solvents, saline solutions, and water. The only substances that can destroy glass are hydrofluoric acid, strong alkalis used at high temperatures, and concentrated phosphoric acid.

Additional advantages to using glass in the lab include its dimensional stability, even at high temperatures, and its transparency. Other advantages include the fact that many sizes of many pieces of laboratory equipment are available, and glass is easy to clean. It is suitable for reagent and chemical storage, and Pyrex, a type of glass, is resilient to heat.