A technician uses 288 g of salicylic acid to prepare 16 eight oz jars of salicylic acid in white petrolatum. What is the concentration of salicylic acid in the final product?

Rationale

The concentration of salicylic acid in the final product is 7.50%.

To find the concentration, we first need to determine the total volume of the final product and then calculate the percentage of salicylic acid in that volume. The total volume from 16 eight oz jars is 128 oz, which when converted to grams using the density of petrolatum, allows us to calculate that 288 g of salicylic acid constitutes 7.50% of the total mixture.

A (6.25%) YOUR ANSWER

This concentration suggests that salicylic acid makes up 6.25% of the total weight of the final product. However, calculating based on the total weight yields a concentration of 7.50%, indicating that 6.25% is lower than the actual percentage of salicylic acid present.

B (7.50%) CORRECT

This value accurately reflects the proportion of salicylic acid in the final mixture. By dividing the mass of salicylic acid (288 g) by the total weight of the product and converting to a percentage, we find that salicylic acid comprises 7.50% of the final product, confirming this choice as correct.

C (15%) YOUR ANSWER

A concentration of 15% indicates that salicylic acid constitutes a significantly larger portion of the total weight than it actually does. Given the total weight of the mixture, 15% would imply an even greater amount of salicylic acid than provided, making this option incorrect.

D (20%) YOUR ANSWER

This concentration implies that salicylic acid comprises 20% of the total weight, which is again higher than the calculated percentage. The mass of salicylic acid would need to be much greater to achieve this concentration, thus rendering this option invalid.

Conclusion

The concentration of salicylic acid in the final mixture is determined to be 7.50%, accurately reflecting the ratio of salicylic acid to the total weight of the product. The incorrect options either underestimate or overestimate this percentage, highlighting the importance of precise calculations in determining concentrations in pharmaceutical preparations.

A technician uses 288 g of salicylic acid to prepare 16 eight oz jars of salicylic acid in white petrolatum. What is the concentration of salicylic acid in the final product?

The concentration of salicylic acid in the final product is 7.50%.

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