Thank you for your question!
First off, diluting a solution is essentially decreasing the concentration of its solute by adding solvent. It goes without saying that the final concentration of a dilute solution is less than the initial concentration of this solution.
The following formula is used when executing dilution calculations:
C1•V1=C2•V2Legend:
• C1: initial concentration of the solution
• V1: initial volume of the solution
• C2: final concentration of the solution
• V2: final volume of solution
Several units can be used to describe the concentration and volume of a solution in the dilution formula. As long as the units are the same on both sides of the equation, the formula works.
Most dilution problems start off with 3 of the 4 variables in the equation. Algebraic manipulation subsequently allows to isolate the missing value:
C1=V1C2•V2V1=C1C2•V2C2=V2C1•V1V2=C2C1•V1Some problems require finding a volume of solution to add. In this case, you have to remember the following formula:
Vfinal=Vinitial+VtoaddSimply modifying the expression of the above equation allows to find the volume of solvent to add:
Vtoadd=Vfinal−VinitialThere you go! Let us know if we can do anything else to help!