Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) Practice Exam

What percentage of hydrocortisone is contained in a cream that requires 1,200 mg for 60 g?

1. 1%

2. 2%

3. 3%

4. 4%

The correct answer is: 2%

To find the percentage of hydrocortisone in the cream, you can use the formula for percentage concentration, which is the mass of the solute divided by the total mass of the solution, multiplied by 100. In this case, the solute is hydrocortisone, with a mass of 1,200 mg, and the total mass of the cream is 60 g (which can be converted to milligrams for consistency; 60 g = 60,000 mg). Using the formula, the concentration can be calculated as follows: \[ \text{Percentage} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of hydrocortisone}}{\text{Total mass of cream}} \right) \times 100 \] Substituting in the values: \[ \text{Percentage} = \left( \frac{1,200 \, \text{mg}}{60,000 \, \text{mg}} \right) \times 100 = \left( \frac{1,200}{60,000} \right) \times 100 = 2\% \] Therefore, the correct answer, indicating that the cream contains 2% hydrocortisone, is