Solutions, Pipetting and the Polymerase Chain Reaction Lab 1 – August 26-28, 2025

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to Solutions, Pipetting, and the Polymerase Chain Reaction based on the lecture notes.

Molarity

The concentration of a solution expressed as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.

Micropipettor

A laboratory tool used to measure and transfer very small volumes of liquid, typically in the microliter range.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A technique used to make multiple copies of a specific DNA segment through a series of temperature changes.

Primers

Short strands of nucleotides that provide a starting point for DNA synthesis in PCR.

dNTPs (deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates)

The basic building blocks of DNA, consisting of nucleotides that are added by DNA polymerase during amplification.

Thermostable polymerase

A type of DNA polymerase that remains active and stable at high temperatures, essential for PCR.

Buffered Solution

A solution that helps maintain a stable pH and salt concentration for enzymatic reactions.

Percent weight per volume (% w/v)

A measure of concentration that indicates grams of solute in 100 mL of solution.

X Stock Solution

A concentrated solution that requires dilution to reach the desired working concentration.

Dimensional Analysis

A mathematical technique used to convert between units, often used in preparing solutions.

C1V1=C2V2

The equation used to determine concentrations in dilutions, where C is concentration and V is volume.

Thermal Cycler

A laboratory instrument that automatically cycles through the temperatures required for PCR amplification.

Template DNA

The specific DNA segment that is targeted for amplification in a PCR reaction.

Denaturation (PCR)

The first step of PCR where double-stranded DNA is heated to separate into single strands.

Annealing (PCR)

The second step of PCR where primers bind to their complementary sequences on the single-stranded DNA templates.

Extension (PCR)

The third step of PCR where thermostable DNA polymerase synthesizes new DNA strands by adding dNTPs to the primers.

Reagent

A substance or compound used in a chemical reaction or experiment.

Dilution Factor

The ratio of the initial volume to the final volume, or initial concentration to final concentration, when diluting a solution.