DENSITY& SPECIFIC

GRAVITY
Density
• Measurable quantities such as density and specific gravity are used when
interconverting between weight (mass) and volume.
• Density is an imitative quantity combining mass and volume.
• By definition it is mass per unit volume of a substance at a fixed temperature and
pressure.
• It is expressed as follows:
grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3) or
as grams/milliliter (g/ml).
Kilograms per cubic meter
number of grain per fluidounce or
the number of pounds per gallon
• Density may be calculated by dividing the mass of a substance by its
volume
• Density = mass/volume
• Example
• If 100ml of lugol’s solution weighs 150g, its density is:
• Density = mass/volume
• = 150(g)/100(ml)
• = 1.5g/ml
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• It is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water.
• The values for both have to be determined at the same temperature.
• It can also be defined as:
• The ratio of the mass of a substance to the mass of an equal volume
of water at the similar temperature.
• The official temperature in Pharmaceutical compendia used to
determine specific gravity is 25oC
• Determining specific gravity
• Density of substance : density of water
• Then, specific gravity may be calculated by dividing the mass of a
given substance by the weight of an equal volume of water.
• Example
• If 100ml of simple syrup BPC weighs 131.3g and 100ml of water at the
same temperature weighs100g, the specific gravity of the simple
syrup is:
• Weight of 100ml of simple syrup/weight of 100ml of water
• = 131.3/100
• = 1.313
• Note
• The values of density and specific gravity, in metric system, are
numerically equal ie when expressed in g/cc, the values of density
and specific gravity are the same. Example, density of 1.2g/cc equals
specific gravity of 1.2
SPECIFIC VOLUME
• Specific volume is the ratio of volume of a substance to the volume
of an equal weight of another substance taken as a standard, the
volumes for both substances being determined at the same
temperature.
• Specific volume may be calculated by dividing the volume of a given
mass of the substance by the volume of an equal mass of water.
• Example
• If 100g of a syrup measures 85ml and 100g of water, at the same
temperature, measures 100ml, the specific volume of that syrup is:
• Volume of 100g of syrup/ volume of 100g of water
• = 85(ml)/ 100(ml)
• =0.85
• The specific gravity and specific volume are reciprocals of each other,
ie the product of their multiplication is 1.
• If the specific gravity of the solution is known, interconversion
between %w/v and %w/w are possible using the following expression:
• Percent weight in weight (%w/w) of the solution = Percent weight in
volume (%w/v) of the solution/ specific gravity of the solution
• Example
• How many milliliters of 90% (w/w) sulfuric acid having a specific
gravity of 1.788 should be used in preparing a liter of 8% (w/v) acid?
• 90%w/w x 1.788 = 160.92%w/v x Xml
• X= 49.7 or 50ml
• Example 2
• 100ml of 35% (w/w) hydrochloric acid is mixed with enough water to
make 400ml. If the specific gravity of hydrochloric acid is 1.20,
calculate the percentage strength ( w/v) of the final solution.
• 100ml x 35% (w/w) = 400ml x X (w/v)
• X= 100ml x 35/ 400
• = 8.75%w/w
• = 8.75 x 1.20
• = 10.5%
Practice problems
1. If a litre of mannitol solution weighs 1285g, what is its specific
gravity?
2. If 50ml of glycerol weighs 135g, what is its specific gravity?
3. How many millilitres of 36.5% w/w hydrochloric acid are needed to
prepare one gallon of 25% w/v acid? The specific gravity of
hydrochloric acid is 1.20.
4. The strength of syrup BPC solution is 65%w/w and its specific
gravity is 1.313. What is its concentration in %w/v?
5. What is the weight, in grams, of 250ml of iodine solution having a
specific gravity of 1.28?
DOSE DEFINITIONS
• The dose of a drug is the quantitative amount administered or taken
by a patient for the intended medicinal effect.
• The dose may be expressed as
• single dose – the amount taken at one time
• A daily dose or a total dose – the amount taken during the course of
therapy.
Household system
• Patients use household measuring devices such as the teaspoon,
dessertspoon, tablespoon etc
• A drop has been used as an equivalent of a minim.
• Due to variations in drop size arising from different factors it has been
discouraged.
• These factors include;
• Density of the medication
• Temperature
• Surface tension
• Diameter of the dropper and the angle of the dropper.
• The official medicinal dropper (USP-NF) has an external diameter of
3mm, and delivers 20 droppers with their products.
• Products such as nasal drops contain droppers.
• Several ear, nose and eye medication are now available in calibrated
containers which provide drops by gently pressing the containers.
• Calibration of the medicinal dropper is done by counting the number
of drops required to transfer 2ml of the intended liquid from its
original container to a 5ml measuring cylinder.
• Example
• If 40 drops equates 2ml of a liquid, then the number of drops to
measure 0.15 ml of the liquid is obtained by method of proportion.
• 40 drops – 2ml
• X drops - 0.15 ml
• = 3 drops
• Note: household system of measurement should not be used for
calculations In compounding or conversions from one system to the
other.
• Household system is designed for the convenience of the patient.
• It is therefore used for dose instructions on labels
• Example
• Amoxicillin suspension contains 125mg/5ml of the drug. If the patient
takes one teaspoonful of the suspension twice daily for ten days, how
many grams of the drug does the patient consume?
• Solution
• 5ml X 2 = 10 ml daily
• 10ml X 10 days = 100ml total dose
• 0.1g – 5ml
• X g - 100
• X = 2g
• Example 2
• In calibrating a medicinal dropper, 2ml of a pediatric solution resulted
in 48 drops. If it is desired to administer 0.08ml of the medication to a
baby, approximately how many drops should be given?
• Use the method of proportions
• Note household measures below
• 1 teaspoonful (tsp) – 5ml
• 1 dessertspoonful (dssp) – 8 ml
• 1 tablespoonful (tbsp) – 15ml
• 1 once – 2 tbsp. or 30 ml
• Activity
• Look out for common latin terms and abbreviations related to
quantity, time of administration, preparations, instructions for
preparations and method of application
Calculation of doses
• Clark’s rule
• Clark's formula is a calculation that determines how much medication
should be given to children based on the patient's known weight and
the recommended adult dosage of the medication.
• To calculate the pediatric pharmaceutical dose, take the patient's
weight in pounds, divide it by the typical standard weight of 150
pounds (68 kg), and then multiply the result by the adult dosage of
the medication..
• Weight/150Ibs or 68kg)x Adult Dose = pediatric dosage
• Young’s rule
• Young’s rule is based on the child’s age in years. Given an adult dose of
a medication it is possible to use this formula to find the concept
pediatric dose.
• Formula
• Pediatric dose = (child’s age in years /child’s age in years + 12 years) X
adult dose
• Example
• The doctor orders an adult dose of Lasix 20mg PO. Calculate the dose
for a child who is 5years old using Young’s Rule.
Calculation of ideal body weight
• Males: IBW = (0.9 x H) – 88
• Females: IBW = (0.9 X H) - 92
Child dose based body surface area
• BSA = Square root of HxW/3600
• In determimning the dose the following can be used
• Actual body weight (ABW)
• Ideal body weight (IBW)- good for patients with 30% above or below the average
adult weight of 70kg.
• Where drugs are predominately distributed in the lean tissues, e.g digoxin, either
the ABW or IBW are used depending on which is lower.