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Making and Diluting Stock Solutions

This protocol was adapted from "Making Solutions" Chapter 4, in Lab Math by Dany Spencer Adams. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2003.

INTRODUCTION

For particular experiments, certain solutions are used frequently and are therefore made up in large quantities. To minimize the volume actually occupied by these solutions, they are often made at a higher concentration than that which will be used. These concentrated solutions are referred to as stock solutions. Stock solutions save time in addition to space; when you need a solution of a given concentration, you need only dilute the stock rather than starting from scratch. This article describes the steps necessary to make and dilute stock solutions appropriately.