Dilution Calculator
M₁V₁ = M₂V₂, with the diluent volume you actually need.
M₁V₁ = M₂V₂, with the diluent volume you actually need.
Stock needed (mL)
10
Add 90 mL of diluent · 10-fold
M₁V₁ = M₂V₂. What is actually conserved is the amount of solute — the equation just states that twice, once for each side of the transfer. Take 10 mL of stock and make it up to 100 mL; do not add 100 mL of diluent to it.
How the Dilution Calculator works
What is actually conserved in a dilution is the amount of solute — the equation just states that twice, once for each side. The number you need at the bench is the diluent to add, which is the difference between the two volumes rather than the final volume itself.
Also known as: m1v1 = m2v2 calculator · serial dilution calculator · how to dilute a solution · dilution factor calculator
Where to go next
The Dilution question rarely arrives on its own. These are the ones that usually come with it:
- Molarity Calculator — Moles per litre of solution — not of solvent.
- pH Calculator — pH, pOH and both ion concentrations, on a log scale.
- Percent Yield Calculator — Actual over theoretical, and what a figure above 100 means.
- Speed Distance Time Calculator — Any one of the three from the other two, in four units.
Frequently asked questions
What is the dilution formula?
M₁V₁ = M₂V₂. To make 100 mL of 1 M from a 10 M stock, take 10 mL of stock and make it up to 100 mL.
How much diluent do I add?
The difference between the final volume and the stock volume — 90 mL in that example, not 100. Adding the full final volume to your stock overshoots.
What is a dilution factor?
How many times weaker the result is. Going from 10 M to 1 M is a tenfold, or 1:10, dilution.
Can I use this to concentrate a solution?
No. Diluting only ever makes something weaker, so a final concentration above the stock is rejected. Concentrating needs evaporation or a stronger stock.
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Related calculators
Molarity Calculator
Moles per litre of solution — not of solvent.
OpenpH Calculator
pH, pOH and both ion concentrations, on a log scale.
OpenPercent Yield Calculator
Actual over theoretical, and what a figure above 100 means.
OpenSpeed Distance Time Calculator
Any one of the three from the other two, in four units.
Open