Science & Lab Tools
Percent Solution Calculator
Calculate solution concentrations and determine solute/solvent quantities
Enter values to calculate solution concentration
Related to Percent Solution Calculator
The Percent Solution Calculator helps you determine the concentration of a solution by calculating the percentage of solute in a solution. It supports three common types of solution concentration expressions: weight/volume (w/v), weight/weight (w/w), and volume/volume (v/v) percentages.
Weight/Volume (w/v) Percentage
Weight/volume percentage expresses the mass of solute in grams per 100 milliliters of solution. The formula is: % (w/v) = (mass of solute in grams ÷ volume of solution in mL) × 100
Weight/Weight (w/w) Percentage
Weight/weight percentage expresses the mass of solute as a percentage of the total solution mass. The formula is: % (w/w) = (mass of solute ÷ total mass of solution) × 100
Volume/Volume (v/v) Percentage
Volume/volume percentage expresses the volume of solute per 100 units volume of solution. The formula is: % (v/v) = (volume of solute ÷ total volume of solution) × 100
The calculator provides the concentration of your solution as a percentage, which represents how much solute is present in the total solution. Understanding the results depends on the type of percentage calculation used:
Weight/Volume (w/v) Results
A 5% w/v solution means there are 5 grams of solute per 100 mL of solution. This is commonly used in biological and chemical laboratory preparations.
Weight/Weight (w/w) Results
A 5% w/w solution means 5 grams of solute per 100 grams of total solution. This is often used in solid mixtures and when density variations are significant.
Volume/Volume (v/v) Results
A 5% v/v solution means 5 mL of solute per 100 mL of total solution. This is commonly used for liquid-liquid solutions, such as alcohol in water.
1. What is the difference between w/v, w/w, and v/v percentages?
Weight/volume (w/v) uses mass of solute and volume of solution, weight/weight (w/w) uses masses of both solute and solution, and volume/volume (v/v) uses volumes of both solute and solution. The choice depends on the physical states of the components and the application.
2. When should I use each type of percentage concentration?
Use w/v for solid solutes in liquid solutions (like salt in water), w/w for solid mixtures or when density variations matter, and v/v for liquid-liquid solutions (like alcohol-water mixtures).
3. How accurate are the calculated percentages?
The calculator provides results to four decimal places. However, in practice, the accuracy depends on your measurement precision and the equipment used. For most laboratory applications, two decimal places are sufficient.
4. Can I use this calculator for dilution calculations?
While this calculator determines solution concentrations, for dilution calculations, you should use a dedicated dilution calculator. However, you can use this calculator to verify the final concentration after dilution.
5. What is the scientific source for this calculator?
This calculator is based on fundamental chemical principles and standard solution preparation methods as described in analytical chemistry textbooks and laboratory manuals. The formulas used are derived from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) guidelines for solution concentration expressions. The calculations follow standard practices in analytical chemistry and are consistent with methods described in "Quantitative Chemical Analysis" by Daniel C. Harris and "Analytical Chemistry" by Gary D. Christian.