Dilution and Stock Solution Practice Problems

1. If 250 mL of a 1:800 (v/v) solution were diluted to 1000 mL, what would be the ratio strength (v/v)?

2. If a pharmacist added 12 g of azelaic acid to 50 g of an ointment containing 15% azelaic acid, what would
be the final concentration of azelaic acid in the ointment?

3. If 150 mL of a 17% (w/v) concentrate of benzalkonium chloride are diluted to 5 gallons, what will be the
ratio strength (w/v) of the dilution?

4. How many milliliters of water should be added to 1 gallon of 70% isopropyl alcohol to prepare a 30%
solution for soaking sponges?

5. The formula for a butter solution contains 1.24% w/v of boric acid. How many milliliters of a 5% w/v boric
acid solution should be used to obtain the boric acid needed in preparing 1 liter of the buffer solution?

6. How many milliliters of a 10% stock solution of a chemical are needed to prepare 120 mL of a solution
containing 10 mg of the chemical per milliliter?

7. How many milliliters of water must be added to 250 mL of a 25% w/v stock solution of sodium chloride to
prepare a 0.9% w/v sodium chloride solution?

8. How many milliliters of water should be added to 300 mL of a 1750 w/v solution of benzalkonium chloride to
make a 12500 w/v solution?
 9. Menthol 0.1%
Hexachlorophene 0.1%
Glycerin 10.0%
Alcohol 70%, to make 500 mL
Label: Menthol and Hexachlorophene Lotion.

How many milliliters of a 5% w/v stock solution of menthol in alcohol should be used to obtain the amount of
menthol needed in preparing the lotion?

Titration Practice Problems

1. How many milligrams of a 1:10 dilution of colchicine should be used by a manufacturing pharmacist in
preparing 100 capsules for a clinical drug study if each capsule is to contain 0.5 mg of colchicine?

2. How many milliliters of an injection prepared by dissolving 100 mg of a 1:10 trituration of mechlor-ethamine
hydrochloride in sufficient water for injection to prepare 10 mL of injection is required to obtain 5 mg of
drug?

3. How many grams of a 1:10 trituration are required to obtain 25 mg of drug?

1. What is the percentage strength (v/v) of alcohol in a mixture of 3000 mL of 40% v/v alcohol, 1000 mL of
60% v/v alcohol, and 1000 mL of 70% v/v alcohol? Assume no contraction of volume after mixing.

2. What is the percentage of zinc oxide in an ointment prepared by mixing 200 g of 10% ointment, 50 g of
20% ointment, and 100 g of 5% ointment?

3. What is the percentage strength of alcohol in a mixture of 500 mL of a solution containing 40% v/v alcohol,
400 mL of a second solution containing 21% v/v alcohol, and a sufficient quantity of a nonalcoholic third
solution to make a total of 1000 mL?

Alligation Alternate Practice Problems

1. In what proportion should 20% benzocaine ointment be mixed with an ointment base to produce a 2.5%
benzocaine ointment?

2. A hospital pharmacist wants to use three lots of zinc oxide ointment containing, respectively, 50%, 20%,
and 5% of zinc oxide. In what proportion should they be mixed to prepare a 10% zinc oxide ointment?
 3. In what proportions may a manufacturing pharmacist mix 20%, 15%, 5%, and 3% zinc oxide ointments to
produce a 10% ointment?

ISOTONIC AND BUFFER SOLUTIONS

Zinc Sultate 0.06

How many grams of sodium chloride should be used in compounding the following prescription?
Pilocarpine Nitrate Sodium Chloride Sig. For the eye.
Purified Water ad Make isoton. sol. 0.3 g
q.s. 30 mL

How many grams of boric acid should be used in compounding the following prescription?
Phenacaine Hydrochloride 1%
Chlorobutanol 1⁄2%
Boric Acid q.s.
Purified Water 60
Make isoton. sol.
Sig. One drop in each eye.

The prescription calls for 0.6 g of phenacaine hydrochloride and 0.3 g of chlorobutanol.

Enlarging and Reducing

2.
 3.

Some Calculations Involving “Units,” “ug/mg,” and Other Measures of

1. HUMALOG contains 100 units of insulin lispro (rDNA origin) per milliliter. How many complete days will a 3-mL
HUMA- LOG PEN last a patient whose dose is 35 units b.i.d?

2. A physician prescribes 2.5 million units of penicillin G potassium daily for 1 week. If 1 unit of penicillin G
potassium equals 0.6 g, how many tablets, each containing 250 mg, will provide the pre- scribed dosage
regimen?

3. FOSAMAX PLUS D contains 70 mg alen- dronate and 140 mcg of vitamin D3, the latter equivalent to 5600
international units of vitamin D. At a once-a-week dose, calculate the daily intake of vitamin D3 in milligrams
and units.

4. A vial for preparation of 100 mL of injec- tion of the drug alteplase (ACTIVASE) contains 100 mg of drug
equivalent to 58 million international units to be adminis- tered by intravenous infusion. Calculate (a) the units
administered to a 176-lb. pa- tient at a dose of 0.9 mg/kg and (b) the milliliters of injection to use.
5. Calcitonin is available as an injection con- taining 200 international units per millili- ter. Adult doses of up to 32
units per kilo- gram have produced no adverse effects. On this basis, if a 120-lb. patient were administered 0.75
mL of injection, would adverse effects be anticipated?