Dilution is the process of making a solution less concentrated.There are a lot of reasons why one might want to do a dilution.Enhancing solutions from their concentrated form is a way for biochemists to create new solutions for use in their experiments.Diluted hard liquor with a soft drink or juice to make a cocktail more palatable is a more casual type of dilution.The formal formula for calculating a dilution is C1V1 + C2V2, where the initial and final solutions are represented by V1 and V2 respectively.
Step 1: Don't know what to do.
If you want to make a new solution with a larger volume but a lower concentration, you need to take a small amount of solution and add a neutral liquid.For efficiency's sake, reagents are often stored at relatively high concentrations which are thenDiluted for use in experiments, which is done very frequently in chemistry labs.In most real-world situations, you will know the concentration of your starting solution, but not the volume of the first solution you need to use to get there.In some situations, you may need to find another part of the puzzle, such as when you're given an initial volume and concentration and asked to figure out the final concentration.It's a good idea to take stock of known and unknown variables before starting.Let's work on an example problem.We're supposed to make 1 liter of a 1 millimolar solution by diluting a 5 M solution with water.We know the concentration of the solution we're starting with and the target volume and concentration we want, but we don't know how much water we need to add to get there.M is a measure of concentration that indicates moles of a substance per liter.
Step 2: The formula C1V1 is C2V2
In this formula, C1 is the concentration of the starting solution, V1, V2, C2 and V2 are the final solution concentrations.You can find the unknown value with minimum difficulty if you plug your known values into the equation.It is helpful to put a question mark in front of the variable that you are trying to solve.We're going to continue our example.The values would be plugged in as follows: C1V1 + C2V2 + (1 mM)There are two concentrations with different units.Proceed to the next step if you stop here.
Step 3: If there are any differences in units, account for them.
It's not uncommon for two variables in your equation to be in different units.Mismatched units in your equation can cause your answer to be off.All values should be converted with different concentration and/or volume units.We use different units for concentration M and mM.There are 1,000 mM per 1 M.
Step 4: To find the missing variable, you have to solve.
Solve your equation when all your units match.This can be done with simple math.The example problem was left here.We need to solve for V1 with our new units.V1 is equal to (0.001 M) (1 L)/(5 M).V1 is the number.
Step 5: Understand how to use your answer.
You have found your missing value, but are unsure of how to use it in a real-world dilution.It's understandable that the language of math and science doesn't lend itself to the real world.Measure the volume V1 of the solution with concentration C1 if you know all four values in the equation.Add some diluting liquid.To make a full volume.The new solution will have your concentration in mind.We would first measure 0.2 mL of our solution.To increase the volume of the solution to 1 L, we would add water.In other words, we would add a lot of water to the solution.The new solution has a concentration of 1 mM, which is what we wanted.
Step 6: Read the packaging for more information.
There are many reasons why you might want to make a dilution at home, in the kitchen, or in a non-chemistry lab setting.The act of making orange juice from concentrate is a dilution.Information about the dilution that needs to be made on the packaging is included in some products.They may have directions to follow.You probably won't see information about the precise concentrations of the liquids being used.The average consumer doesn't need this information.
Step 7: Add the substance to the solution.
For simple household dilutions, such as the ones you might make in the kitchen, you only need to know the volume of concentrate you're using and the approximate final concentration.Dilute the concentrate with an appropriate amount of diluting liquid, which is determined relative to the initial volume of concentrate being used.If we wanted to change the concentration of orange juice, we would add water to it.The final mixture had 1 cup of concentrate in 4 cups of liquid.If we wanted to change 1/3 cup of concentrate to 1/3 its initial concentration, we would need to add 2 cups of water.If you want a large bowl or similar container for your final volume, be sure to add your substances to a big vessel.
Step 8: Most cases, ignore the volume of powders.
Adding powders to liquids doesn't need to be thought of as a "dilution."The volume change created by the addition of a small amount of powder to a liquid is usually small enough that it can be ignored.Just add the powder to the final volume of liquid you want and mix.