Dear Pascal, thank you very much for posting this interesting technical question. I my personal experience diluting of reagents is not just a matter of waiting. If you for example dilute a concentrated solution with water and just wait for some time, chances are that you still have concentration gradients, i.e. different concentrations within the total volume. Thus I strongly suggest that the dilution process should always include some kind of shaking, swirling, or strirring in order to guarantee the formation of a homogeneously diluted solution. I hope this clarifies the issue.

Good luck with your work and best wishes, Frank Edelmann

Hi Frank, thanks for your reply and bringing up an important point. I guess I forgot to mention that one must always mix properly...

Hi Pascal Leclair

I agree with Frank T. Edelmann explanation. For me, whenever I'm diluting a reagent, in my mind I'm assuming that if the solubility of the reagent with the solvent of choice is very high, I'll have to work it less, but if the solubility is low, I'll have to work it more (sonication if necessary). I maintain this assumption in my mind even when I'm carrying out serial dilution. Secondly, I assume that gravity may likely kick in after a while (especially if the molecular weight of my reagent is significantly larger than that of my solvent)...so I ensure that I shake the dilute solution vigorously every time I want to use it to ensure homogeneity.

Wait for 5 minutes after diluting reagents to get homogeneous solution.

Hi Dr Pascal Leclair . I think if you shake the solution well, you can use it directly and no need to wait.