Question

What is the ratio strength of 100 ml containing a 1:50 povidone iodine solution diluted to 1000 ml? (answer must be numeric; no units or commas; do not enter the 1 and the colon; enter only the number after the colon, as shown here with xs: 1:xxx.)?

Answer 1

We are given that:

100 mL total solution with 1:50 povidone iodine solution

This means that there is 1 mL of povidone iodine solution per 50 mL of total solution. Since we are given a total of 100 mL solution, therefore we have an initial amount of:

pure povidone iodine solution = 2 mL

This amount of pure povidone iodine solution is added or diluted (most perhaps with water) to make a total of 1000 mL total solution, therefore the new ratio is:

2:1000 povidone iodine solution

By dividing both sides by 2, this simplifies to

1:500 povidone iodine solution

Answer:

1:500