Problem:
The problem involved accurately quantifying the amount of pure ethanol
(EtOH) ingested by test subjects from the gram weight consumed of a percent ethanol solution in water.
The method requires measuring the solution's weight change before and
after consumption. Since ethanol has a lower density than water, the
solution’s weight per milliliter deviates from pure water, complicating
direct weight-based calculations. The task was to account for this density
variation to determine the exact volume of pure ethanol consumed.
Solution:
To solve this problem, a desktop application was developed that enables
users to input the specific gravity of the stock liquid, the target volume
percentage (Vol/Vol) for dilution in water, and the desired final volume.
The application calculates the required quantities of each component in
milliliters to create the specified final solution. Additionally, it
provides the corresponding weights in grams for each component, allowing
precise formulation and ensuring accurate knowledge of the weight of the
stock liquid in each milliliter of the final solution. While initially
designed to handle ethanol solutions, the application can be used for any
liquid with a known specific gravity, making it a versatile tool for
various dilution calculations.
Problem:
To prep laboratory animals for surgical procedures, a 3:2 anesthetic
solution needed to be created. The amounts to use are straight forward if someone needs
exactly 5 units of total volume of final solution, however, this is often
not the case. Doing these calculations by hand takes valuable procedure
time and can be vulnerable to error.
Solution:
Using Python and the PySimpleGUI framework, a desktop application was
designed for calculating any final volume's component amounts
requiring a 3:2 mixture. The app increases workflow efficiency and
eliminates human error as well as the arduous rigors of pencil and paper mathing.