4CH1

States of Matter

Principles of Chemistry

  • Dilution is the addition of more solvent to an existing solution
  • The total number of solute particles is unchanged
  • Solute particles are now spread through a larger volume, so the concentration falls
  • A coloured solution fades with each stepwise dilution, but does not disappear immediately
  • Two conclusions follow:
    • a small mass of solute contains a very large number of particles
    • particles are not destroyed by dilution, only spread out further