What Does Dilute Mean in Chemistry?

liquids in glass beakers
Dilute solutions contain more solvent than solute. Steve McAlister/Getty Images
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on March 24, 2019

A solution containing a relatively small quantity of solute as compared with the amount of solvent. This term is the opposite of 'concentrated'.

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Does Dilute Mean in Chemistry?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-dilute-604431. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 25). What Does Dilute Mean in Chemistry? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-dilute-604431 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Does Dilute Mean in Chemistry?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-dilute-604431 (accessed June 1, 2023).