What is the effect of dilution on the concentration of a solute in a solution?

Dilution involves adding solvent to a solution, which increases the volume of the solution while the amount of solute remains unchanged. As a result, the concentration of the solute, defined as the amount of solute divided by the volume of the solution, decreases because the same quantity of solute is now spread over a larger volume. This is a fundamental principle in solution chemistry, where the concentration is inversely related to the volume when the quantity of solute remains constant.

When considering the other options, increasing the amount of solute would not occur during a dilution; this would lead to an increase in concentration instead. Saying that dilution has no effect on concentration is incorrect since a larger volume with the same solute will indeed lower concentration. The idea that solute would convert to a gas is not applicable in the context of typical dilution processes for most solutes in aqueous solutions. Thus, the correct understanding is that dilution decreases the concentration of the solute.