Skip to Content
Merck
VNenProductsLabwareSample HandlingLaboratory Sample Collection

Laboratory Sample Collection

Slide 1 of 4
Freezing Vials - Screw cap vials for low temperature storage
Lab racks for tubes and vials
Bags
Tweezers and Spatulas

Sample management is key to an efficient lab. Sample collection and storage solutions should be selected based on sample type, application, and handling needs. Smart solutions facilitate sample identification, tracing, and recovery while offering ergonomic design for convenience and safety. We offer a variety of sample storage and laboratory storage solutions including vials, tubes, bottles, bags, plates, racks, and sealing films to protect your samples and meet your lab's storage needs. We also provide tweezers and forceps, lab spatulas and spoons, and cell lifters, spreaders, and strainers for efficient sample collection.   

Read more about

Vials

Vials can be used for collection, storage, and transport of samples and are available in a variety of materials, sizes, and shapes with various closures for sample preservation and recovery. Glass vials are more resistant to higher temperatures and are typically more chemically inert, making them compatible with harsh detergents and solvents. Plastic vials won't shatter as easily and are available in several materials to increase chemical compatibility and autoclavability. Both types of vial are available in sterile and non-sterile versions. Vials are clear for easy sample visualization or made of amber glass or tinted plastic for samples that are sensitive to light. Colored caps enable for quick identification of samples.

Tubes

Tubes are used for solid or liquid sample collection, transport, storage, and testing. While some tubes are designed for general use, application-specific tubes including test tubes, culture tubes, centrifuge tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, PCR tubes, and cryotubes are designed to meet specific temperature, force, sterility, and chemical compatibility requirements. Multiple types of glass and plastic tube materials can be selected based on durability, inertness, and other characteristics. Round-bottom and conical-bottom tubes can increase sample recovery. Disposable and reusable tubes are available based on convenience and safety needs. Screw caps provide extra safety in preventing leakage and spilling. Plug closures and snap closures facilitate easier tube manipulation.

Bottles

Bottles are most often used to store chemicals, solvents, and other liquids, and are available in specific shapes to suit recovery, safety, and storage needs. Bottles are made from glass for inertness or various plastics that have different chemical compatibilities. Clear glass or natural plastics allow maximum visibility. Amber-tinted glass and opaque plastics are recommended for light-sensitive materials. Bottles may be disposable or made of materials supporting autoclavability or cleaning for re-use as needed.

Bags

Whirl-Pak® sterilized sampling bags are ideal for food & beverage, dairy, water, medical, veterinary, environmental, soil, and industrial markets as well as surface, forensic science, genetics, biomedical, and pharmaceutical sampling. Whirl-Pak® bags have been the professionals’ trusted sampling bag for 60 years and offer puncture-proof closure tabs, guaranteed sterility, easy identification, and a leak-proof closure you can rely on.

Tweezers and Spatulas

Laboratory tweezers and forceps are small tools useful in a range of laboratory and other working environments for gripping and manipulating small or delicate objects. Tweezers and forceps are available in a range of sizes, styles, and design variations:

  • With pointed, blunt, rounded, curved, angled, or flat tips
  • With plain or serrated inner surfaces for extra grip
  • With scissor-type handles
  • With defined dimensions for precision work
  • With foam or silicone-covered handles or tips for extra grip
  • With self-closing/locking guide pins to keep the tips aligned for a firmer grip
  • With an inert PTFE coating to prevent contamination, scratching, or damage of delicate samples

Spatulas are available in a range of sizes and styles designed for breaking up, scraping off, picking up, and transferring chemical solids, powders, granules, or other materials. Laboratory spatulas are manufactured with handles of varying lengths, with one or both tips fashioned into tooled ends of various shapes or designs depending upon the intended application.

Racks

Racks are used to support, organize, and store various types of glassware, labware and other items. Laboratory racks are available for pipets, test tubes, microtubes, vials, petri dishes, microplates, and other labware. Racks are made from a variety of materials including plain and epoxy-coated metal, wood, and various plastics. Racks for test tubes and microtubes have openings of various sizes to accommodate specific tube diameters. 

Microplates

Microplates are multi-well plates used for sample storage, biochemical and cellular assays, and analytical methods. Lids, film, tape, caps, or mats can be used to seal plates during processing, incubation, or storage. Plates should be selected based on:

  • Material: Microplates are typically made of glass or plastic. Glass-bottom microplates have excellent optical properties and are typically reserved for high content cell imaging applications. Plastic-bottom plates can be used for a variety of fluorescence, colorimetric, cell culture, and cell imaging applications. Cyclic olefin plates are made of a polymer that both supports cell adherence and offers optical properties similar to glass.
  • Well number: Plates are available in 24-, 96-, 384-, and 1536-well formats depending on throughput needs and volume requirements
  • Well shape: Round-bottom wells help ensure mixing and facilitate recovery of samples when needed. Flat bottom plates are required for imaging applications.
  • Plate color: Black plates are typically used for fluorescent and high signal luminescent applications to reduce background phosphorescence and autofluorescence. White plates can be used for time-resolved fluorescence and low signal luminescence assays. Clear-bottom plates enable bottom-reading measurements and microscopic visualization.
  • Plate coatings: plates are available pre-treated for sterility or low protein binding, or coated with collagen, poly-D-lysine, and other molecules to facilitate cell attachment
Related Product Categories
Laboratory Labels
Versatile labeling solutions for labs: cryogenic, chemically resistant, autoclavable labels, and lab markers.
Laboratory Containers & Storage
Essential lab storage solutions for lab management, sample traceability, and enhanced productivity including freezer and cryogenic boxes, glass and plastic tubes and bottles, and sealing films and foils.
Cryo Storage
We offer a wide range of cryo supplies including freezer racks, tubes & vials, labels & markers, and forceps for research and clinical applications from the most reliable names in the industry.
Analytical Vials
Ensure precise analysis: Inert, certified vials prevent extractables, leachables. Reduce risk with Supelco® autosampler, general-purpose vials for HPLC, GC/MS, LC/MS.
Biological Buffers
Learn about high-purity biological buffers in various formulations and packaging formats to get superior solution stability and pH control for your bioprocess workflow applications.
PCR Supplies & Equipment
PCR tubes, tips, filter tips, plates, plate sealers, PCR thermocyclers and additional consumables to support your PCR workflow.
Liquid Handling & Dispensing
We offer an extensive portfolio of serological pipets and pipet controllers for molecular biology and cell culture, Pasteur and transfer pipets for general lab applications, volumetric pipets for titrations and analytical chemistry, and micropipette devices and pipette tips for your lab's liquid dispensing and liquid handling needs.
Related Applications
Cell Culture Media Preparation
Culture media preparation for in vitro cell cultivation including preparation of different media formats, sterilization methods, cell growth and regulation supplements, media storage and use.
Wastewater & Process Water​ Testing
Wastewater treatment stages and analytical testing methods ensure compliance with regulatory standards for environmental protection.
Drinking Water Testing​
Clean drinking water is essential for food and beverage production. This article gives an overview of chemical and microbiological testing of the drinking water for quality and safety.
Flavor & Fragrance Analysis
Flavor and fragrance formulation is critical for the development of new food and personal care products. Learn more about the flavor and fragrance industry, as well as applicable regulations.
Soil, Solid Waste & Groundwater Testing
Soil and groundwater testing are crucial to avoid adverse impact on the environment and human health. Learn about the importance of solid waste management and methods used for soil and groundwater testing for heavy metals and other environmental pollutants.
PCR Applications
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique for amplifying nucleic acid molecules and is commonly used in many applications, including RT-PCR, hot start PCR, end point PCR and more.
qPCR
Quantitative PCR (qPCR) or quantitative Real-Time PCR applications, utilizing fluorescent report molecules, suitable for your microRNA, genotyping, and gene expression analyses.
Sign In To Continue

To continue reading please sign in or create an account.

Don't Have An Account?