Pharmaceutical Calculations

Pharmacy Enhancement Review Seminar

Lecture Review Outline

I. Dimensional Analysis ZnO 80 g

Glycerin 20 g
II. Systems of Units and Measures Bentonite magma 250 g
a. Metric System Ca(OH)2 topical solution qs 1000mL
b. Common Systems
c. Household measures b. From the following formula, calculate the amount of
white wax required to make 1 lb (avoir) of cold cream.
III. Conversion of Units Determine the mass in grams.
a. Ratio and Proportion Cetyl esters wax 12.5 parts
b. Reducing and Enlarging Formulas White wax 12.0 parts
c. Density Mineral oil 56.0 parts
d. Thermometry Sodium borate 0.50 part
Purified water 19.0 parts
IV. Calculation of Doses
a. Young’s Rule IV. Density
b. Cowling’s Rule a. What is the weight in g of 500 mL glycerin having a
c. Fried’s Rule density of 1.25 g/mL?
d. Clark’s Rule b. If the weight of an oil sample is 52.78 g and the weight of
e. BSA an equal volume of the standard used (water) is 54.96 g,
what is the specific gravity of the oil?
V. Percentage and Ratio strengths
a. Percentage strength V. Thermometry
b. Ratio strength a. The USP defines a refrigerator as a cold place in which
the temperature is maintained thermostatically between
VI. Dilution and Concentration 2C and 8C. Express this temperature range in F.
a. Expressions of Concentrations
b. Stock solutions VI. Calculation of Doses
c. Dilution of Alcohols and Acids a. If the dose of the drug is 150 mcg, how many doses are
d. Alligation Medial contained in 0.120 g?
e. Alligation Alternate b. If a liquid medicine is to be taken tid, and if 180 mL are
to be taken in 4 days, how many tbsp should be prescribed
VII. Isotonic Solutions for each dose?
a. NaCl equivalent c. A physician prescribes tetracycline suspension for a
patient to be taken in doses of 2 tsp qid for 4 days, and
VIII. Electrolyte Solutions then one tsp qid for 2 days. How many mL of the
a. mEq suspension should be dispensed to provide the quantity
b. mOsmol for the prescribed dosage regimen?
d. If the usual adult dose of a drug is 325 mg, using Young’s
IX. Rate of Flow of IV fluids Rule, what is the dose in g for a 6-y/o child?
X. Biological Units e. Calculate using Clark’s Rule, the dose in mcg for a 45-lb
XI. Proof Strength child if the usual adult dose is 0.6 mg.
XII. Mark-up or Gross Profit
VII. Percentage and Ratio Strength
PROBLEM SOLVING: a. Convert the following into ratio strengths:
I. Conversion of Units a. 0.125%
a. 500 mg to kg b. 2.5%
b. 45 km to m c. 0.80%
c. 12 foz to mL d. 0.6%
d. 250 gr to mg
e. 180 lb (avoir) to kg b. Convert the following into % strengths:
a. 1:1500
II. Ratio and Proportion b. 1:250
a. If a vitamin solution contains 0.5 mg of c. 1:400
fluoride ion in each mL, then how many d. 1:10000
grams of fluoride ion would be provided by
a dropper that delivers 0.6 mL? c. How many mg of a drug should be used in preparing
b. How many chloramphenicol capsules, each 5 L of a 0.01% (w/v) solution?
containing 250 mg, are needed to provide 25 d. In preparing 250 mL of a certain lotion, a pharmacist
mg/kg/day for 7 days for a patient weighing used 4 mL of liquefied phenol. What was the
200 lb? percentage (v/v) of liquefied phenol in the lotion?
c. If 1 foz of a cough syrup contains 10 gr of
sodium citrate, how many mg are contained VIII. Expression of Concentrations
in 10 mL? a. Express 0.03% (w/v) in terms of mg%
b. Express 0.0005% w/v in terms of parts per million
III. Reducing and Enlarging Formulas (ppm)
a. Using the formula for calamine lotion, determine the c. What is the molarity of a 500 mL solution containing
amount of calamine (in grams) necessary to prepare 240 2 g of NaOH? (MW: 40)
mL of lotion. d. If 500 mL of a 15% (v/v) solution of methyl
salicylate in alcohol is diluted to 1500 mL, what will
Calamine 80 g be the percentage strength (v/v)?
 e. If 50 mL of a 1:20 (w/v) solution of aluminum XII. Rate of Flow of Intravenous Fluids
acetate is diluted to 1000 mL, what is the ratio
strength (w/v)? a. A medication order calls for 1000 mL of
f. How many mL of a 1:50 stock solution of ephedrine D5W to be administered over an 8-hour
sulfate should be used in compounding the following period. Using an IV administration set
prescription?
which delivers 10 drops/mL, how many
Rx Ephedrine sulfate 0.25%
Rose water qs 30 mL drops/min should be delivered to the
patient?
IX. Dilution of Alcohols and Acids b. What is the IV flow rate (in drops per min)
a. Up to what volume should water be mixed with 5000 for a 500-mL Lactated Ringer’s Solution
mL of 85% (v/v) alcohol to make 50% (v/v) alcohol? that is to run for 8 hours? The infusion set is
b. How many mL of 96% (w/w) sulfuric acid having a calibrated at 60 drops/mL
specific gravity of 1.84 are required to make 1000
mL of diluted sulfuric acid, 10% (w/v) XIII. Biological Units
a. How many mL of U-100 insulin should be
X. Alligation Medial & Alternate used to obtain 40 units of insulin
a. What is the percentage (v/v) of alcohol in a mixture b. A physician prescribed 100 units of insulin
of 3000 mL of 40% (v/v) alcohol, 1000 mL of 60% to be added to 500 mL of D5W in treating a
(v/v) alcohol and 1000 mL of 70% (v/v) alcohol? patient with severe diabetic acidosis. How
b. What is the percentage of zinc oxide in an ointment many mL of insulin injection concentrate,
prepared by mixing 200 g of 10% ZnO ointment, 50 U-500, should be used?
g of 20% ZnO ointment and 100 g of 5% ZnO c. If neomycin sulfate has a potency of 600
ointment? mcg of neomycin per milligram, how many
c. In what proportions should alcohols of 95% and 50% mg of neomycin sulfate would be equivalent
strengths be mixed to make 70% alcohol? in potency to 1 mg of neomycin?
d. How many mL of 50% (w/v) dextrose solution and
how many mL of 5% (w/v) dextrose solution are XIV. Proof Strength
required to prepare 4500 mL of a 10% (w/v) a. How many proof gallons are there in 5 wine
solution? gallons of 75% alcohol?
b. How many wine gallons are there in 20
XI. Isotonic Solutions proof gallons with proof strength of 40?
a. How many grams of NaCl should be used in
compounding the following prescription? XV. Mark-up or gross profit
Rx a. The cost of 100 antacid tablets is PhP 150.
Pilocarpine nitrate (E=0.22) 0.3 g What should be the selling price per hundred
NaCl qs tablets to yield 66% gross profit on the cost?
Purified water qs ad 30 mL b. The cost of a suspension is PhP 200. What
Make isotonic solution should be the selling price per bottle of
Sig. for the eye suspension to yield a gross profit of 40% on
the selling price?
b. How many grams of boric acid should be used in c. An ointment is sold for PhP 245.00, thereby
compounding the prescription? yielding a gross profit of 60% on the cost.
Rx What was the cost of the ointment?
Phenacaine HCl (E=0.17) 0.6 g
Chlorobutanol (E= 0.18) 0.3 g
Boric acid (E=0.52) qs
Purified water qs ad 60 mL
Make isotonic solution.
Sig. One drop in each eye

c. How many grams of KNO3 (E=0.58) could be used to

make the following prescription isotonic?
Rx
0.2% Silver nitrate solution (e=0.34) 60 mL
Make isotonic solution.
Sig. For eye use

d. What is the concentration, in mg/mL, of a solution

PHS01 2017-2018
containing 2 mEq/mL of KCl (MW: 74.5)?
Pharmaceutical Calculations
e. How many mEq of KCl are represented in a 15-mL
dose of a 10% (w/v) KCl elixir? (MW: 74.5)
f. How many mEq of MgSO4 are represented in 1.0 g of
MgSO4 (MW:120)?
g. A solution contains 5% of dextrose in water for
injection. How many milliosmoles are represented by
this concentration? (MW: 180)
h. A solution contains 156 mg of KCl (MW: 74.5) per
100 mL. How many mOsmol are represented in a
liter of the solution?