Concentrations!!

HOW DO I DESCRIBE HOW MUCH SOLUTE

AND SOLVENT I HAVE?
 Concentration?

When you discuss a solution, you express the amount

of solute per volume of solution
This is referred to as concentration
Many IV solutions contain a variety of different
solutes at different concentrations within the same
solution.
We will discuss the different ways IV solutions
express concentration on the IV bag label
 Why do we discuss concentrations?
IV bags provide the
concentration of solutes in
multiple ways:
% m/v (g in 100mL)
Osmolarity (mols of particles)
mEq of ions (mols of charge)
% m/v is expressed as the
mass of solid per 100 mL
Dextrose 5 g
Sodium Lactate 310 mg
Sodium Chloride 600 mg
Potassium chloride 30 mg
Calcium Chloride 20 mg
Percent
Composition
Shows what percent of a
solution is occupied by
the solute.
All solutes within an IV
bag have their
concentration expressed
in % m/v
Concentration

Percent composition:
Weight of solute per volume of solution (w/v)=
[(mass of solute in grams)/(volume of solution in
mL)] * 100.

For example if we have a 10% (m/v) solution of glucose, we

have 10 grams of glucose for every 100 mL of solution.

Your units of mass must be in GRAMS and you units of volume

must be in MILLILITERS!!!!!
Percent Composition

What is the concentration of a solution in % m/v if you

have 3 grams of NaCl in 500 mL of solution?
RED BOOK ACTIVITY

Red Book Activity 30

Concentration Units

Page 191
Questions 4, 6, 7 & 8

5 minutes

30
0
 Dilution

HOW DO WE CHANGE THE CONCENTRATION

OF A SOLUTION?
Dilution

By adding more solvent to a solution, you change the

concentration: this is called dilution
Dilution is very commonly used to make solutions. A
Nurse if often responsible for adding sterile water to
vials to create a solution or add more water to an
already existing solution.
Dilution Equation

If we dilute a solution, the amount of solute remains

the same after dilution. This results in the following
relationship:
C1V1 = C2V2
C1: concentration before dilution
V1: volume of solution being diluted
C2: concentration after dilution
V2: total finial volume of the diluted solution (this value is
additive between V1 and volume of solvent being added)

This equation can be used for all concentration units!

Dilution

What is the concentration of a solution made by taking

3 mL of a 5% NaCl solution and adding water to make
15 mL?
Red Book Activity

Do Red Book Activity 31

The Dilution Equation
Pages 193-194

Questions 1-3

5 minutes

30
0
Moles, Molar Mass and
Molarity
Moles

Mole: a quantity of a substance (ions, molecules,

atoms) equivalent to the number of atoms in 12 g of
Carbon-12
A mole is a set quantity 6.02 x 10 23 units (ions,
molecules, atoms etc) per mole
Similar to 1 dozen = 12 units (donuts, bagels, etc) or 1 case = 24
units (sodas, cans, etc)
Many concentration units use moles to express the
amount of solute or particles
Examples: Molarity, Osmolarity, and Meq
Millimoles: 1000th of a mole (1 mol = 1000 mmol)
Molar Mass

The molar mass of a substance is the mass of one

mole of the substance expressed in terms of grams
per mole (g/mol)
Glucose, C6H12O6
molar mass: 180 g/mol
one mole of glucose has a mass of 180 g
Urea, (NH2)2CO
molar mass: 60.0 g/mol
one mole of urea has a mass of 60.0 g
Mass of 1 mol of Glucose Mass of 1 mol Urea
Calculating Molar Mass

To calculate molar mass of a compound, fill in the following table using the
formula of the compound.

Element Number of Molar Mass of Total Mass of

Atoms Element (g) Element
Use the subscripts This comes from Multiply the mass
of the elements in the periodic table! of the atom by the
the formula number of atoms

Formula Mass of Compound (g/mol)

Calculating Molar Mass

Calculate the molar mass of Magnesium Chloride

Element Number of Molar Mass of Total Mass of

Atoms Element (g) Element
Magnesium 1 24 24
Chlorine 2 35.5 71

Formula Mass of Compound (g/mol) 95 g/mol

Calculate the molar mass of sodium
bicarbonate
Molarity

Molarity (M) expresses concentration in the units of

moles of solute per liter of solution (molssolute/L)
Although molarity is not directly listed on IV bags,
molarity is related to Osmolarity
Molarity (M) = moles of solute (mol)
Liters of solution
Question

What is the molarity of a solution that contains 53

moles of sucrose dissolved in 500 mL of water?
RED BOOK ACTIVITY

Red Book Activity 30

Concentration Units

Page 190
Questions 1-3

5 minutes

30
0
TLOs

Using the information you learned today you are able

to complete IV Therapy TLOs
5, 7 & 8