Preparation of General Laboratory
Solutions and Buffers^6
Almost all the experimental techniques in clinical biochemistry require the use of
solutions. A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more nonreactive
substances. It is made up of two components. The dissolved substance is called
solute, and the medium in which solute is dissolved is called solvent. The solutions
are prepared in terms of concentrations. The concentration of a solution can be
defined as the amount of solute present in a given quantity of solution. Following are
the common ways to express the concentration of a solution:
6.1 Molar Solutions
One molar solution (1 M) contains 1 g molecular weight of solute per liter of
solution. For example, 1 M solution of NaOH contains 40 g of NaOH per liter of
solution.
6.1.1 Molarity (M)
Molarity of a solution, also termed as molar concentration, is the number of moles of
solute dissolved in 1 litre of solution. The molarity of a solution can be calculated
when the number of grams of the substance present or dissolved in the solution,
molecular weight of the dissolved substance, and the volume of the solution are
known.
#Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
V. Kumar, K. D. Gill,Basic Concepts in Clinical Biochemistry: A Practical Guide,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8186-6_6
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