How to Calculate Dilution

Dilution is a scientific quantity that expresses a decrease in the concentration of a solution. As more liquid or solvent is added to the mixture, the concentration of the dissolved substance in the solution decreases, meaning the solution becomes more diluted. Dilution can be calculated so long as the original concentration of a solution and the original volume are known. The calculation is based on the following relationship: the concentration times the volume of the original solution is equal to the concentration times the volume of the diluted mixture.

Instructions

1. Multiply the concentration and volume of the original solution.

2. Divide the result by the total volume of the diluted solution. The total volume will be the volume of the original solution, plus the amount of new liquid added during the dilution process. This will give you the concentration of the diluted solution.

3. Subtract the new concentration from the original concentration. This will be the amount that the concentration was reduced in the new solution. In other words, this is the dilution caused by adding more solvent to the original solution.

Tips & Warnings

• The substance being dissolved into a solution is called the solute, while the liquid is called the solvent.

• The concentration of a solution is equal to the amount of solute divided by the volume of the solution.

References

• Grand Valley State University: Dilution Calculations
• Ausetute: Dilution of Solutions Calculations