1. What is Serial Cell Dilution?

Serial cell dilution is a technique used to reduce the concentration of cells in a stepwise manner. It's commonly used in microbiology, cell culture, and various laboratory experiments to obtain desired cell concentrations.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the dilution factor formula:

Where:

• \( DF \) — Dilution factor (dimensionless)
• \( V_f \) — Final volume after dilution (mL)
• \( V_i \) — Initial volume of undiluted sample (mL)

Explanation: The dilution factor represents how many times the original solution was diluted. A DF of 10 means the original was diluted 10-fold.

3. Importance of Dilution Factor

Details: Accurate dilution calculations are essential for preparing cell suspensions of precise concentrations, ensuring reproducibility in experiments, and achieving optimal cell densities for various applications.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the initial volume of your undiluted sample and the final volume after dilution. Both values must be positive numbers in milliliters (mL).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between dilution factor and dilution ratio?
A: Dilution factor is the total volume divided by the sample volume (e.g., 1:10 dilution has DF=10). Dilution ratio expresses the parts of sample to total parts (1:10).

Q2: How do I perform a serial dilution?
A: Transfer a fixed volume from one tube to the next, each time adding diluent to achieve the desired final volume in each step.

Q3: What's a typical dilution series?
A: Common series are 1:10 (e.g., 1mL sample + 9mL diluent) or 1:2 (e.g., 1mL sample + 1mL diluent) dilutions.

Q4: How does this relate to cell concentration?
A: Final concentration = Initial concentration / DF. A 10-fold dilution (DF=10) reduces concentration by 10×.

Q5: What if I need to calculate the volume to add?
A: Volume of diluent to add = V_f - V_i. For DF=10, add 9 parts diluent to 1 part sample.