dilutioner

A dilutioner is a device or instrument designed to dilute a liquid sample with another liquid, typically a diluent such as water, buffer, or saline, to achieve a desired concentration or to generate a dilution series. The term can refer to simple manual tools as well as automated systems used in laboratory settings.

Manual dilutioners encompass common lab equipment like pipettes, diluent reservoirs, and fixed-volume devices that allow precise addition of diluent to a sample. Automated dilutioners are part of broader liquid-handling or analytical systems and may be integrated into autosamplers, clinical chemistry analyzers, or high-throughput screening platforms. Microplate-based dilution systems and microfluidic dilution devices are specialized forms used for high-throughput or very small-volume applications.

Operation and applications vary, but the core purpose is to produce accurate and reproducible dilutions. They are used to prepare calibration standards, bring samples within the dynamic range of an assay, or create serial dilution series for quantitation, inhibition studies, or microbial assays. Common fields of use include analytical chemistry, clinical diagnostics, pharmacology, toxicology, environmental testing, and food and beverage analysis.

Key considerations for dilutioners include the choice of diluent, accuracy and precision of volume transfer, prevention of cross-contamination, and calibration traceability. Other factors are mixing efficiency, solvent compatibility, and system validation. In serial dilution workflows, factors such as dilution factor and the number of steps determine the final concentration range.