Rx:
Potassium Chloride ------10%
Cherry Syrup q.s. ad.-----480 mL
Sig. Tablespoonful b.i.d.
How many milliequivalents of potassium chloride are represented in each
prescribed dose?
To find the number of milliequivalents (mEq) of potassium chloride in each prescribed dose, we need to first understand the concentration of potassium chloride in the prescription.
The prescription states that the solution contains 10% potassium chloride. This means that in 100 mL of the solution, there are 10 grams (10%) of potassium chloride.
Next, we need to determine the amount of the solution to be taken in each dose. The prescription instructs to take a tablespoonful b.i.d., which means two tablespoonfuls per day.
Each tablespoon holds approximately 15 mL, so the total volume of the solution for one day would be 30 mL (2 tablespoons x 15 mL/tablespoon).
Since the prescription information provided states that the total volume of the solution is 480 mL, we can divide the total volume of the solution for one day (30 mL) by the total volume of the solution (480 mL) and multiply it by the concentration of potassium chloride (10%) to find the amount of potassium chloride in each prescribed dose.
Calculations:
Amount of potassium chloride in each dose = (30 mL / 480 mL) x 10 grams
Now, we need to convert grams to milliequivalents (mEq). To do this, we need to know the molar mass of potassium chloride, which is approximately 74.5513 g/mol.
To convert grams of potassium chloride to milliequivalents (mEq), we use the equation:
mEq = (grams / molar mass) x 1000
Calculations:
Amount of potassium chloride in each dose (mEq) = (30 mL / 480 mL) x 10 grams x (1000 / 74.5513 g/mol)
Therefore, the number of milliequivalents (mEq) of potassium chloride represented in each prescribed dose can be calculated using the above formula.
To determine the milliequivalents (mEq) of potassium chloride in each prescribed dose, we need some additional information:
1. The molecular weight of potassium chloride: 74.55 g/mol
2. The concentration of potassium chloride in the provided solution: 10%
3. The volume of the prescribed dose: 1 tablespoonful (which is typically around 15 mL)
Now, let's calculate the milliequivalents:
Step 1: Calculate the amount of potassium chloride in the prescribed dose:
Concentration of potassium chloride = 10% = 10 g/100 mL
Amount of potassium chloride in the prescribed dose = (10 g/100 mL) * 15 mL
= (10/100) * 15 g
= 1.5 g
Step 2: Convert the amount of potassium chloride (in grams) to milliequivalents (mEq):
1 mole of potassium chloride = 74.55 g
1 milliequivalent (mEq) = 1/1000 mole
Amount of potassium chloride in milliequivalents = (1.5 g / 74.55 g/mol) * (1 mol / 1,000 mEq)
= 0.02 mEq
Therefore, each prescribed dose contains approximately 0.02 milliequivalents of potassium chloride.