Patent ID: 8741661

Claim:
A method for manipulating at least one flowable material with a microsampler head having at least one flowable material inlet, said method comprising: a) providing at least a first well with at least a first layer of a first flowable material and a second layer of a second flowable material immiscible with the first flowable material, located over said first layer, said second flowable material being a liquid, and providing at least a second well with at least a first layer of a first flowable material different from the first flowable material of said first well, b) locating the at least one flowable material inlet of the microsampler head within the first layer of the first well, c) sampling into the microsampler head a first volume of the first flowable material of the first well, d) displacing the at least one flowable material inlet relative to the first well to locate the at least one flowable material inlet within the second layer, e) sampling into the microsampler head a second volume of the second flowable material, f) displacing the at least one flowable material inlet relative to the first and second wells to locate the at least one flowable material inlet within the first layer of the second well, and g) sampling into the microsampler head a third volume of the first flowable material of the second well or dispensing into said second well a third volume of the first flowable material, wherein the first layer of the first flowable material in the first well has an upper surface, wherein the second layer of the second flowable material in the first well covers an entirety of the upper surface of the first layer of the first well, and wherein substantially the whole volume of the first layer of the first well is separated from air located vertically above it by a liquid material.