Nail polish remover is essentially a mixture of water and a chemical called acetone.

Question

How much pure acetone must be combined with a solution that is 10% acetone to make 30 oz of a 37% solution?

Answer 1

Hi Amanda,

We now that we need 30 oz total of 37% acetone, so the amount of pure acetone + 10% acetone must equal 30.

If we define x as the amount of pure acetone, the amount of 10% has to be 30-x.

so the total volume = x + (30-x) = 30

Now we need to add in the percentages:

100x + 10(30-x) = 30*37

100x + 300-10x = 1110

90x = 810

x = 9

 

We defined x as the amount of pure acetone and (30-x) as the amount of 10% acetone, so

pure acetone = 9 oz

10% acetone = 21 oz