Dilutes

Dilutes, in common usage, refers to solutions with low concentration formed by diluting a concentrated solution. The noun form is less common, but "dilutes" can refer to multiple diluted solutions. In chemistry, dilution is the process of decreasing the concentration of a solute by adding solvent, usually water, without changing the amount of solute.

The relationship between concentrations and volumes is given by C1V1 = C2V2. In a simple dilution, a volume V1 of stock solution with concentration C1 is mixed with solvent to reach a final volume V2, yielding concentration C2 = (C1V1)/V2. The dilution factor DF = C1/C2 = V2/V1.

Simple dilution describes adding solvent directly to reach the target concentration. Serial dilutions involve successive steps to reach very dilute solutions; each step uses a fixed ratio, such as 1:10. In reporting, it is common to specify the stock concentration, final concentration, and the volumes used. The resulting solutions are called diluted solutions or dilutes.

Applications include chemical analysis to bring concentrations into the measurable range, biology and microbiology for assays, medicine for preparing drug dilutions, and environmental monitoring of pollutants.