Drug Preparation:

 Percent by weight
Ex. 0.1% means 0.1 gm/100 ml or 100mg/100 ml
 Ratio by dilution
Ex. 1:1000 (1 gm in 1000 ml)
 Weight per volume (simplest form of drug
preparation)
Ex. 1mg/ml
 Percent and ratio are other term for
expressing parts of a unit
 Percent – Parts per hundred (gm/100 ml)
5% means 5 gm/100 ml or 0.05 of the total
amount of solution is the drug itself
 Ratio – another method of expressing
fraction
To change ratio to percent
 Make the first term of the ratio the numerator
 The second term the denominator
 Divide the numerator by the denominator multiply
by 100
Ex. 1:4 = ¼ x 100 = 25%
To change percent to ratio
 Change percent to fraction
 Reduce the fraction to its lowest form
 Make the numerator the first term of the ratio
 Denominator the second term of the ratio
 Ex. 50% = 50/100 = ½ = 1:2
 To change ratio to %: make the first term of
the ratio the numerator of the fraction and
make the second term the denominator.
Divide the numerator by the denominator
and multiply by 100.
 Example: 1:4 = ¼ x 100 = 25%
 To change percent by ratio: change the
percent to a fraction and reduce it to its
lowest terms. The numerator of a fraction is
the first term of a ratio and the denominator
is the second term.
 Example: 50 % = 50/100 = ½ = 1:2
 Percent weight by weight – expresses the
grams of drug in 100 grams of solution
 Percent weight in volume – expresses the
grams of drugs in 100 ml of solution
 Percent of volume in volume – expresses the
milliliter of drug 100 milliliters of solution

 Full strength or pure drugs are 100% in

strength unless otherwise stated
Desired strength (DS) = quantity of drug (q)

Available strength (AS) Quantity of solution (Q)

DS – desired solution (solution that you are ask to

prepare)
AS – solution you have at hand(available solution)
q – amount of drug needed in grams
Q- amount of solution in ml
 How many grams of potassium permanganate would
be needed to prepare 2 liters of 1:200 solution?
DS = 1:200 q= ?gm
AS = 1: 1 or 1 Q= 2L or 2000 ml
Formula:
DS/AS = q/Q
1/200 = X
1 2000 ml
1/200 = x/2000 ml
200x = 2000
x = 2000/200
x = 10 grams
Rules in setting up a proportion
 Both terms in a ratio must be expressed in the same
unit of measurement
 The strength of the desired solution and the strength
of the drug used must be expressed as either in ratio
or percent
 Both the amount of drug to be used and the total
amount of solution must be expressed either in the
metric or apothecaries system
 Units of measurement must be expressed in
equivalent term (gm & ml or grain & minim)
 The terms in each ratio should be in the same order of
value . (small is to large or large is to small)
Prepare 500 ml of 5% solution of boric acid
from 100% crystals
DS = 5% q = ?gm
AS = 100% Q = 500 ml

DS/AS = q/Q
5%/100% = xgm/500ml
100x = 5 (500)
X = 2500/100
X = 25 gm
Prepare 1 quart of 0.85% sodium chloride from 2 & 1/8
gm tablets
DS = 0.85% q = ?gm
AS = 100% Q = 1 quart or 1000ml
DS/AS = q/Q
0.85%/100 %= xgm/1000ml
To find the number of tab
100x = 0.85 (1000) 8.5/ 2.125
X = 850/100 = 4 tablets
X = 8.5 gm
 To find the amount of water in which to
dissolve a tablet of known strength:
 EXAMPLE: Prepare a 1:4000 solution from
tablets containing 0.5 gm

Strength of tablet = amount of water in w/c to

dissolve the tablet
Strength of desired solution
0.5 0.5 x= 4000
_____ = x 1
1 X = 2000 ml of water
____
4000
Prepare 3000ml of 0.5% solution of a drug from
gr.X tablet. How many tablet is needed?
DS/AS= q/Q convert grain to mg
.5%/100% = xgm/3000 ml gr. = 60 mg
100x = .5 (3000) gr.X = 60mg x 10
X = 15 gm = 600mg
no. of tablet
15 gm/600 mg= tablet
15000mg/600mg = 25 tablet
How many 10% mercuric chloride solution can
be prepared from 100 ml of an 80% solution?
Ds= 10% ds/as= q/Q
As = 80 10/80= 80/x
q = 100 ml 10x = 80 (80)
Q=X x = 6400/10
x=640 ml
80% = 80 gm/100ml
100ml = 80gm/100ml (100ml) = 80 gm
 To find the amount of stock solution of
known strength required to make a weaker
solution of desired strength. The unknown
quantity is the number of ml of stock solution
to be diluted
 EXAMPLE:
Prepare 1000 ml of 0.1% benzalkonium chloride
solution from 12.8% concentrated solution

0.1% x ml
________ = __________
12.8% 1000 ml
X = 7.81 ml
 A prescribed dose may be larger or smaller
and not an exact multiple of dose on hand
 When prescribed dose differs in strength
from that of the tablets available, it is
necessary to determine how many tablets or
what part of the tablet should be used in
preparing the solution
 When the strength of the tablet on hand is
greater than that of the desired dose

EXAMPLE: Prepare gr ¼ from gr 1/3 tablets

gr ¼ : gr 1/3 : : x tablet : 1 tablet
1/3 x = ¼ x= ¼
___ = ¼ x 3/1 = ¾ of a gr 1/3 tab
1/3
 When the strength of the tablet on hand is
less than the desired dose

EXAMPLE: Prepare gr 1/6 morphine from gr 1/8

tablets. Since 1/6 is greater than 1/8, then it
will be necessary to use two tablets of gr 1/8
or 2/8 of the total dose
1/6 : 2/8 : :: x : 1 tablet

2/8x = 1/6

x = 1/6 x = 1/6 x 8/2 = 8/12 or 2/3 of 2

------ gr. 1/8 tabs
2/8
 Calculating a dose from stock solution

EXAMPLE: The label of a rubber-capped vial

Penicillin G Na state that there are 1,000,000
units in 10 ml. The dose ordered is 50, 000
units.
50,000 units : 1,000,000 units : : x ml : 10 ml
1,000,000 x = 500,000
x = 0.5 ml
 To prepare doses from tablets:

PROBLEM # 1: Prepare atropine so4 gr 1/400

tabs labelled gr 1/50

1/400 (1) = x x = 1/400 x 50/1

1/50 x = 50 /400 0r 1/8 or 0.125
tabs
 To calculate doses from stock solutions

PROBLEM # 2: Give meperidine hcl 50 mg

from an ampule labelled 200 mg in 4 ml

200 mg = 50 mg x = 1 ml of meperidine
4 ml x ml
 To prepare doses from full strength drugs

PROBLEM # 3: To prepare 500 mg of ampicillin

for IV injection from ampicillin which contain
1000 mg in a vial (4 cc in a vial)
(500 mg) (4 cc) = (1000 mg) x
x =( 500 mg) (4 cc)
1000 mg
x = 2 cc
 To prepare doses of drugs based on the
weight of the person

PROBLEM # 4: How much erythromycin will

you give to child weighing 22 lbs who need 50
mg/kg/BW/day? What is the total dose to be
given if the drug is needed for 7 days?
22 lbs = 10 kg

(50 mg/kg/day) (10 kg) = 500 mg/day

500 mg/day x 7 days – 3,500 mg for 7 days