Title: volume of distribution
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - volume of distribution
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.12738
Status: current

Definition
Apparent (hypothetical) volume of fluid required to contain the total amount of a substance in the body at the same concentration as that present in the plasma assuming equilibrium has been attained.

Source
- PAC, 2013, 85, 1725. 'Glossary of terms used in medicinal chemistry. Part II (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)' on page 1754 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-12-11-23)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12738/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12738/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12738/xml

Citation: Citation: 'volume of distribution' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.12738
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-06-20T18:55:27+00:00