Question

You have a compound with a concentration of 7.5 g of hydrocortisone powder in 200 g of petrolatum. Determine the percentage strength of this compound?

Answer 1

The percentage strength of a hydrocortisone solution in petrolatum is found by dividing the mass of hydrocortisone by the total mass of the solution and multiplying by 100. This gives a percentage strength of about 3.6%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student here is asking about the percentage strength of a compound, namely, hydrocortisone powder in petrolatum. The percentage strength of a compound is found by dividing the mass of the solute by the total mass of the solution, then multiplying by 100.

In this case, the solute is the hydrocortisone powder and the solution is the combined mass of hydrocortisone and petrolatum. The calculation can be done as follows:

• First, add the mass of the hydrocortisone (7.5 g) and the mass of the petrolatum (200 g) to get a total mass of 207.5 g.
• Next, divide the mass of the hydrocortisone (7.5 g) by the total mass (207.5 g). This gives approximately 0.036.
• Finally, multiply this number by 100 to get a percentage strength of about 3.6%.

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