If you’re unsure what liquid to use, ask for help or check online to see if other people have performed a similar dilution.
It’s helpful to label all of your tubes before you begin so you don’t get confused once you begin with the dilutions. Each tube will be a 10-fold dilution starting from the undiluted tube. [4] X Research source The first tube will be a 1:10 dilution, the second a 1:100, the third a 1:1000, etc. Determine the number of dilutions you need to do beforehand so you don’t waste tubes or diluting liquid.
Thoroughly mix your solution before starting any dilutions. [5] X Research source
For example, let’s say you did a 1:10 dilution of your liquid 4 times. Plug your dilution factor into the equation: Dt = 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 10,000 The final dilution factor of the fourth tube in your serial dilution is 1:10,000. The concentration of your substance is now 10,000 times less than the original undiluted solution.
For example: If you started with a solution of cells with a concentration of 1,000,000 cells per mL and your dilution ratio is 1,000, what is the final concentration of your diluted sample? Using the equation: Cfinal = Cinitial/D Cfinal = 1,000,000/1,000 Cfinal = 1,000 cells per mL.
