How does dilution affect the concentration of a solution?

Dilution reduces the concentration of a solution by increasing the volume of the solvent.

When a solution is diluted, more solvent is added to it. This increases the total volume of the solution, but the amount of solute (the substance that is dissolved) remains the same. As a result, the concentration of the solution decreases. Concentration is defined as the amount of solute per unit volume of solution. So, when the volume of the solution increases without an increase in the amount of solute, the concentration decreases.

For example, if you have a solution of salt water with a certain concentration, and you add more water to it, the amount of salt in the solution doesn't change. However, because there is now more water, the salt is spread out over a larger volume, so the concentration of salt in the water is lower.

This concept is important in many areas of chemistry, including analytical chemistry, where it is often necessary to dilute solutions to make them easier to analyse. It's also crucial in everyday life, for example when making up a squash drink, you dilute the concentrated squash with water to make it palatable.

Remember, the process of dilution does not change the total amount of solute in the solution, it simply spreads it out over a larger volume. This is why the concentration decreases. It's also worth noting that dilution is a physical change, not a chemical one. The chemical properties of the solute do not change when a solution is diluted, only its concentration does.