SOLUTION: Science and medicine. A pharmacist wishes to prepare 150 mL of a 20% alcohol solution. She has a 30% solution and a 15% solution in her stock. How much of each should be used in f

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Question 74968: Science and medicine. A pharmacist wishes to prepare 150 mL of a 20% alcohol
solution. She has a 30% solution and a 15% solution in her stock. How much of each should be used in forming the desired mixture?

Answer by psbhowmick(878) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let us suppose that 'x' ml of 30% alcohol be mixed with 'y' ml of 15% alcohol to form 150 ml of 20% alcohol.

150 ml of 20% alcohol consists 20%2A150%2F100 = 30 ml of alcohol and (150 - 30) = 120 ml of water.

Similarly, 'x' ml of 30% alcohol contains 30%2Ax%2F100 = 0.3x ml and (x - 0.3x) = 0.7x ml of water.
Also, 'y' ml of 30% alcohol contains 15%2Ay%2F100 = 0.15y ml and (y - 0.15y) = 0.85y ml of water.

Thus total volume of alcohol in final mixture = (0.3x + 0.15y) ml and total volume of water in final mixture = (0.7x + 0.85y) ml.

But final mixture contains 30 ml alcohol and 120 ml water.

So, 0.3x+%2B+0.15y+=+30______________(1)
and 0.7x+%2B+0.85y+=+120______________(2)

Multiplying (1) by 7 and (2) by 3 and subtracting (1) from (2)
2.55y+-+0.85y+=+360+-+210
1.7y+=+170
y+=+170%2F1.7+=+100

So, 0.3x+%2B+0.15%2A100+=+30 [from (1)]
0.3x+%2B+15+=+30
0.3x+=+30+-+15+=+15
x+=+15%2F0.3+=+50

Hence, 50 ml of 30% alcohol should be mixed with 100 ml of 15% alcohol.