Home
Back
Two-Fold Serial Dilution Formula:
| From: | To: |
Two-fold serial dilution is a laboratory technique where a solution is repeatedly diluted by a factor of two. This creates a series of solutions with concentrations that decrease by half at each step.
The calculator uses the two-fold serial dilution formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the final concentration after performing n successive two-fold dilutions from an initial concentration.
Details: Serial dilution is essential in various scientific fields including microbiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology for creating concentration gradients, determining minimal inhibitory concentrations, and preparing standard curves for assays.
Tips: Enter the initial concentration (must be > 0) and the number of two-fold dilutions (must be ≥ 0). The calculator will compute the final concentration after the specified number of dilutions.
Q1: What units should I use for concentration?
A: You can use any concentration units (mg/mL, μM, %, etc.) as long as you're consistent. The result will be in the same units as your input.
Q2: How many dilutions can I calculate?
A: The calculator can handle any reasonable number of dilutions. However, after about 20 two-fold dilutions, the concentration becomes extremely small and may approach the detection limits of most instruments.
Q3: Can I use this for other dilution factors?
A: This calculator is specifically designed for two-fold (1:1) dilutions. For other dilution factors, a different formula would be needed.
Q4: What's the practical application of this calculation?
A: This is commonly used in preparing dilution series for ELISA assays, bacterial culture dilutions, drug concentration testing, and creating standard curves for quantitative analysis.
Q5: How accurate is this calculation?
A: The calculation provides the theoretical concentration. Actual concentrations may vary slightly due to pipetting errors, evaporation, or other laboratory factors.