Calculations: Weighing & Measuring
Aliquot Method
Objectives
• Calculate the minimum measurable and
weighable quantities using the sensitivity
requirement of the balance.
• Calculate the maximum expected percentage
errors.
• Apply the aliquot method to perform
prescriptions calculations with quantities
below the sensitivity limits of the available
balances and glassware.
What is the definition?
How can we decide on?
1- Sensitivity requirement?
2- Limit of % error ?
SR is needed to
I. Calculation of minimum weighable quantity:
100% x SR
MWQ
% Error
II. Calculating minimum weighable quantity
(MWQ)
100% x SR
% Error
MWQ
Percentage Error
Calculate the maximum expected percentage
error upon weighing 190 mg and 1900 mg
using a torsion balance with SR = 6 mg?
100% x SR
% Error
MWQ
MWQ
What is the minimum weighable quantity
(MWQ) for a balance with SR 6 mg? If the
maximum allowed error is 5% or 3%?
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Aliquot
• How can I weigh 12 mg if the MWQ is 120mg?
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DRY ALIQUOT METHOD
Mixture 1
Mixture 2
m=10
+
12mg
Drug 1080mg
needed 120 mg total
Diluent with 12 mg drug
120 mg 1200mg
drug m=10 (Aliquot)
Total triturate
MWQ
Double check your answer:
Drug1/mixture1 = x/ mixture2
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120 mg/ 1200mg = x / 120 mg
Rx
Atropine Sulfate 0.025 mg/kg
Lactose
Sucrose aa QSAD 120 mg
Mix et ft molded tablets DTD # 10
The patient’s weight = 154 lb
How can you fill this prescription with accuracy = 95%?
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DRY ALIQUOT METHOD
Rx
Digoxin 30 mg
Calcium carbonate qs ad 30 g
M. ft div. Charts # 100
Set the MWQ at 200 mg
Explain the correct procedure that you may follow to fill this
prescription?
• I will weigh ........digoxin
• Mix it with ......... CaCO3
• From the mixture I will use ........ , as a source of 30 mg of
digoxin
• I will add more ......CaCO3 to bring the final weight to 30 gram.
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Triturations
• Solid dilutions of potent drugs, their
concentration is expressed as ratio strength.
• If you have a trituration of drug A with 1:20
w/w ratio strength, and you need 50 mg of
drug A. How much is your aliquot?
Trituration
If you need to need to weigh 5 mg of drug A,
what is the minimum trituation strength can
you use? Your MWQ is 120
• 1:20
• 1:24
• 1:30
• 1:50
Calculating Volume Errors
• A 100 mL measuring cylinder has an error of 1 mL,
what is the maximum expected percentage error
when you use this cylinder to measure 20 mL and 90
mL?
• % error = error x 100
Measured Volume
**The measuring cylinders have constant error
magnitude, but the % error depends on the
measured volume.
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WET ALIQUOT METHOD
The least measurable quantity (LMQ) in liquids = 20%
of the available measuring cylinder.
LMQ of 100 mL cylinder is 20 mL
LMQ of 50 mL cylinder is 10 mL
LMQ of 20 mL cylinder is 4 mL
LMQ of 10 mL cylinder is 2 mL
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WET ALIQUOT METHOD
Strong Iodine Solution 0.15 mL
Aq. dist. Qs ad 30 mL
The available measuring cylinders are 10, 50 and
100 mL, LMQ = ? mL
Explain the steps of filling the prescription.
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You have the following prescription to
fill….
Rx
Drug A 2 mg
Lactose QSAD 120 mg
DTD 14 tablets
The available balance has SR of 6 mg, and the
required accuracy is 95%.
When performing the calculations count for one
excess tablet.
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How to solve this problem?
A prescription calls for a desired quantity of 10 mL of 2 % w/v
drug solution in total of 40 mL liquid, the smallest measuring
cylinder you have is 100 mL, with divisions of 2 mL, the first
division is at 10 mL.
How can you fill this prescription?
Calculate the ratio strength of the resultant solution?
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