To compound 60 g of hydrocortisone cream at a concentration of 2.5%, how much hydrocortisone powder is needed?

To determine how much hydrocortisone powder is needed to prepare 60 g of cream at a concentration of 2.5%, you can use the formula for calculating the amount of active ingredient based on the desired concentration.

The formula is:

Amount of active ingredient (g) = Total weight of the cream (g) × (Desired concentration / 100)

In this case, you want to find out how much hydrocortisone powder is needed:

Amount of hydrocortisone = 60 g × (2.5 / 100) = 60 g × 0.025 = 1.5 g

Thus, to achieve a 2.5% concentration in 60 g of cream, 1.5 g of hydrocortisone powder must be used. This calculation demonstrates how to convert a percentage concentration into a weight of the active ingredient based on the total final weight of the preparation.