Dropper
A dropper, also called a pipette, is a thin tube with a squeezy bulb on top.
What is it for?
It picks up a small amount of liquid and lets it out one drop at a time.
How to use it
Squeeze the bulb, dip the tip into the liquid and let go slowly to suck some up. Then squeeze gently to let the drops out.
🥽 Safety tip: Use a clean dropper for each liquid so they do not mix by accident, and never use one to taste anything.
Fun fact from Fizzy: Scientists also use very precise pipettes that can measure amounts much smaller than a raindrop.
A closer look
Simple droppers are a glass or plastic tube with a rubber bulb. Many labs use all-plastic ones, where the tube and bulb are one piece. They are cheap, so they can be used once and thrown away to stop chemicals mixing.
Droppers are perfect for adding an indicator, a liquid that changes colour to show whether something is an acid or an alkali. Just two or three drops are usually enough.
Where you would see one
You will find droppers in school labs, in medicine bottles for measuring doses, and in eye drops. Scientists who work with DNA use special pipettes with buttons that can pick up less than a millionth of a litre.