Dilution

Dilution is the process of reducing the concentration of a solute in a solution, usually by mixing with more solvent. In the context of chemistry, dilution is a common laboratory technique used to achieve desired concentrations of solutions for various experiments and applications.

Process of Dilution

The process of dilution involves adding a solvent, such as water, to a solution to decrease the concentration of the solute. The relationship between the concentrations and volumes before and after dilution can be described by the equation:

\[ C_1V_1 = C_2V_2 \]

where:

• \( C_1 \) is the initial concentration,
• \( V_1 \) is the initial volume,
• \( C_2 \) is the final concentration,
• \( V_2 \) is the final volume.

Applications

Dilution is widely used in various fields, including:

• Pharmacology: To prepare medications at the correct dosage.
• Biology: To prepare solutions for experiments involving cell cultures and biochemical assays.
• Environmental science: To analyze pollutants in water samples.
• Food science: To adjust the flavor and concentration of ingredients.

Types of Dilution

There are several types of dilution, including:

• **Serial Dilution**: A stepwise dilution of a substance in solution, often used in microbiology to reduce the concentration of cells or viruses.
• **Simple Dilution**: A single dilution step, typically used in everyday laboratory practices.

Serial Dilution

Serial dilution involves diluting a substance in a series of steps, each time reducing the concentration by a fixed factor. This method is particularly useful in microbiology for estimating the concentration of microorganisms in a sample.

Simple Dilution

Simple dilution is the process of diluting a solution in one step. For example, adding 1 part of a concentrated solution to 9 parts of solvent results in a 10-fold dilution.

Related Concepts

• Concentration
• Solvent
• Solute
• Molarity
• Titration

See Also

• Concentration
• Molarity
• Titration
• Serial dilution
• Solvent
• Solute