Laboratory Solution Preparation

1 Introduction
Solutions are homogeneous mixtures containing one or more solutes in a solvent. The solvent that
makes up most of the solution, while a solute is the substance that is dissolved inside the solvent.
Preparing a solution of known concentration is the most common activity in the laboratory. Solutions
can be made up of solid materials or stock solutions (a stock solution is one with a known
concentration greater than the solution you are preparing).

The method for measuring out the solute and the solvent depends on the desired concentration and
how exact the solution’s concentration needs to be known. Pipets and volumetric flasks are used when
we need to know a solution’s exact concentration, whilst graduated cylinders, beakers, and/or reagent
bottles suffice when a concentration needs only be approximate.

This section will introduce students to basic concepts of solution preparation and a practice guide on
preparing solutions from solid and liquid materials using different measuring tools.

2 Learning outcomes
- Enable to explain the relationship between molarity and mass concentration,
- Correctly use an analytical balance, a graduated pipette, a micropipette, a volumetric flask, a
graduated cylinder, and other laboratory tools,
- Know how to prepare an aqueous solution of a specific concentration from a pure salt and a
stock solution.

3 Basic concepts of solution preparation

3.1 Solution concentrations

Molarity (M) is the most common unit of solution concentration. The molarity of a solution is defined
as the number of moles of solute per one liter of solution. A 1 molar (1 M) solution has 1 mole of
solute dissolved in 1 liter of total solution.

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒)

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑀 𝑜𝑟 )= (1)
𝐿 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

Mass-volume (g/L) of a solution is defined as the number of grams of solute per one liter of solution.

𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑔)

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 − 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 ( ) = (2)
𝐿 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

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Mass percent (% w/w) of a solution is defined as the number of grams of solute per 100 grams of
solution.

𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑔)

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 (% ) = 𝑥 100% (3)
𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑔)

Mass-volume percent (% w/v) of a solution is defined as the number of grams of solute per 100
milliliters of solution.

𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑔)

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 − 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 (% ) = 𝑥 100% (4)
𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑚𝐿)

Volume percent (% v/v) of a solution is defined as the volume of solute per 100 milliliters of
solution.

𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝐿)

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 (% ) = 𝑥 100% (5)
𝑣 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑚𝐿)

Saturation concentration of a solution is defined as the maximum possible quantity of solute that
can dissolve in a standard volume of a specific solvent (e.g., water) at a given temperature and
pressure.

3.2 Calculating the amount of a solute to prepare a solution in a desired

concentration

To calculate the amount of a solute to prepare a solution in a desired concentration, we start with the
formula (1)

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒)

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑀 𝑜𝑟 )= (1)
𝐿 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

By replacing the number of moles of solute with its definition “the ratio of the mass of solute relative
to the Molar mass of solute”, we get the formula (1a), as below:

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑔) 1

⇔ 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 ( )= 𝑔 𝑥 (1𝑎)
𝐿 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 ( ) 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)
𝑚𝑜𝑙

By transforming the formula (1a) into the formula (1b), we can get the amount of a solute required to
prepare the desired solution, as below:

𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 (𝒈)

𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆
= 𝑴𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 ( ) 𝒙 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 ( ) 𝒙 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (𝑳)(𝟏𝒃)
𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝑳

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3.3 Calculating the volume of a stock solution to prepare a solution in a desired
concentration

To calculate the volume of a stock solution to prepare a solution in a desired concentration, we start
with the formula (1)

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒)

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑀 𝑜𝑟 )= (1)
𝐿 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

By transforming the formula (1) into the formula (1c), we can get the number of moles of solute from
the molarity and volume of solution, as below:

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒) = 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 ( ) 𝑥 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿) (1𝑐)
𝐿

By assigning the volume and concentration of the desired solution as Vd and Cd, respectively, we get
the formula (1d) to calculate the number of moles of solute in the desired solution, as below:

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒) = 𝐶𝑑 ( ) 𝑥 𝑉𝑑 (𝐿) (1𝑑)
𝐿

Similarly, by assigning the volume and concentration of the stock solution as Vo and Co, respectively,
we get the formula (1e) to calculate the number of moles of solute in the desired solution, as below:

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒) = 𝐶𝑜 ( ) 𝑥 𝑉𝑜 (𝐿) (1𝑒)
𝐿

Taken together, we can get the volume of the stock solution required to prepare the desired solution
by the formula (1f), as below:

𝑉𝑜 − 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 (𝐿)

𝑪𝒅 𝒙 𝑽𝒅 𝐶𝑜 − 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑀)

𝑽𝒐 = (𝟏𝒇)
𝑪𝒐
𝑉𝑑 − 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝐿)

𝐶𝑑 − 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑀)

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4 Experimental designs
4.1 Chemicals, tools, and equipment

Chemicals Tools and equipment

NaCl (M = 58.44 g/mol) Analytical balance

K2SO4 (M = 174.26 g/mol) Beaker 50 mL, 100 mL, 250 mL
CuSO4.5H2O (M = 249.69 g/mol) Volumetric flask 50 mL
Sucrose – C12H22O11 (M = 342.30 g/mol) Graduated cylinder 50 mL, 100 mL
CuSO4 0.1 M solution Test tubes
Distilled water Micropipette and tips
Stirring rod
Waste box
Nilon and rubber bands, Marker pen, Tissue
paper, …

4.2 Preparing solutions from solute

1. Determine the concentration and amount of solution required for the experiment.

2. Calculate the amount of solute required to prepare the desired solution as the formula (1b).

3. Weigh out the amount of solute calculated in step (2) using a beaker and analytic balance.

4. Add appropriate volume of solvent into the beaker containing solute and stir solution using a
stirring rod.

5. Add the solution to a volumetric flask or a graduated cylinder of appropriate volume.

Using volumetric flask

6a. Carefully fill the flask to the mark etched on the neck of the flask. Use a micropipette if necessary.

7a. Mix the solution thoroughly by stoppering the flask securely and inverting it ten to twelve times.

Using graduated cylinder

6b. Carefully fill the cylinder to the mark of the desired volume. Use a micropipette if necessary.

7a. Pour the solution into a reagent bottle with a screw cap. Tide the cap and mix the solution
thoroughly by shaking it a few times.

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4.3 Preparing solutions from a stock solution

1. Determine the concentration and amount of solution required for the experiment.

2. Calculate the volume of a stock solution to prepare the desired solution as the formula (1f).

3. Use a pipet to measure the amount of solution or liquid calculated in step (2).

4. Add the solution or liquid to a volumetric flask or a graduated cylinder of appropriate volume.

Using volumetric flask

5a. Carefully fill the flask to the mark etched on the neck of the flask. Use a micropipette if necessary.

6a. Mix the solution thoroughly by stoppering the flask securely and inverting it ten to twelve times.

Using graduated cylinder

5b. Carefully fill the cylinder to the mark of the desired volume. Use a micropipette if necessary.

6a. Pour the solution into a reagent bottle with a screw cap. Tide the cap and mix the solution
thoroughly by shaking it a few times.

5 References
Lisa A. Seidman and Cynthia J. Moore, Basic Laboratory Methods for Biotechnology,
Textbook and Laboratory Reference Prentice-Hall, Inc. (2000)

The Flinn team, Laboratory Solution preparation, The Flinn Scientific, Inc. (2011)

David Harvey, 3.3: Preparing solutions, The LibreTexts libraries, the UC Davis Library

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 Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City Advanced program
University of Science Labwork on General Biology A1
Faculty of Biology - Biotechnology
Date:…………………………………

REPORT - Laboratory Solution Preparation

Information of students

Group: ...................................................... Email: .................................................................................

Full name: ............................................................................ Student ID: ..............................................

Full name: ............................................................................ Student ID: ..............................................

1 Task 1: Preparing solution A from a solute

You want to prepare solution A:

Solute: ..................................Concentration: ............................... Volume:...........................................

How much ....................... should you weight out in order to prepare solution A? – Please write how
you calculate in detail.

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Give a brief description of the steps you took to prepare solution A.

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2 Task 2: Preparing solution B from a solute

You want to prepare solution B:

Solute: ..................................Concentration: ............................... Volume:...........................................

How much ....................... should you weight out in order to prepare solution B? – Please write how
you calculate in detail.

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Give a brief description of the steps you took to prepare solution B.

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3 Task 3: Preparing solution C from a stock solution

You want to prepare solution C:

Solute: ..................................Concentration: ............................... Volume:...........................................

How much necessary volume of the stock solution ....................................should you add in order to
prepare solution C? – Please write how you calculate in detail.

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Give a brief description of the steps you took to prepare solution C.

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4 Task 4: Basic concepts of solution preparation

Question 1: You need to prepare solution E of .................. in ....................... from ............................

How much should you weigh out ………………. to prepare solution E? – M = ................................

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Question 2: You need to prepare solution F of ................... in ....................... from ............................

How much necessary volume of the stock solution ………………. to prepare solution F?

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Question 3: Write the formula to calculate the Mass-volume percent (% w/v) of a solution

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Question 4: Write the formula to calculate the Mass-volume (g/L) of a solution

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