How to Use the Dilution Calculator
- Enter the concentration of your stock solution (C₁). This is the concentration of the original solution you have.
- Enter the desired concentration of your final solution (C₂). This is the concentration you want to achieve after dilution.
- Enter the final volume (V₂) of the solution you want to prepare.
- Click the "Calculate" button. The calculator will automatically determine:
- The volume of stock solution (V₁) needed
- The volume of diluent (V₂ - V₁) needed to reach the final volume
- The formula used is C₁V₁ = C₂V₂, which is the fundamental principle of dilution calculations.
Example
Suppose you have a 1.0 M (1.0 mol/L) stock solution of NaCl, and you want to prepare 100 mL of a 0.1 M NaCl solution. Using the calculator:
- C₁ = 1.0 M
- C₂ = 0.1 M
- V₂ = 100 mL
- V₁ = (0.1 M × 100 mL) / 1.0 M = 10 mL
- Diluent = 100 mL - 10 mL = 90 mL
You would need to mix 10 mL of the 1.0 M NaCl stock solution with 90 mL of diluent (such as distilled water) to obtain 100 mL of 0.1 M NaCl solution.
Applications
This calculator is useful in various fields including:
- Chemistry laboratories for preparing standard solutions
- Pharmaceutical research for drug concentration adjustments
- Biology for cell culture medium preparation
- Environmental science for sample concentration