1. What is Pharmacy Alligation?

Alligation is a method used in pharmacy to calculate the proportion of different strengths needed to prepare a mixture of intermediate strength. It's particularly useful when compounding medications.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the alligation formula:

Where:

• \( High \) — Higher concentration solution (%)
• \( Desired \) — Target concentration (%)
• \( Low \) — Lower concentration solution (%)

Explanation: The result shows the ratio in which the higher and lower concentration solutions should be mixed to achieve the desired concentration.

3. Importance of Alligation in Pharmacy

Details: Alligation is crucial for accurate medication compounding, especially when preparing customized dosages or when specific concentrations aren't commercially available.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter concentrations in percentage (%). The desired concentration must be between the high and low concentrations. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What if my desired concentration equals one of the inputs?
A: If desired equals high, use 100% high concentration. If desired equals low, use 100% low concentration.

Q2: Can I use this for non-percentage concentrations?
A: Yes, as long as all concentrations use the same units (mg/mL, %, etc.), the ratio will be correct.

Q3: How do I interpret the ratio result?
A: The ratio shows parts of high concentration to parts of low concentration needed (e.g., 2:1 means 2 parts high to 1 part low).

Q4: What if I get an error message?
A: Check that your desired concentration is between high and low values, and that all inputs are positive numbers.

Q5: Can this be used for more than two components?
A: This calculator handles two-component alligation. For more components, more complex calculations are needed.