Percent Solution Calculator
Calculate percent concentrations and prepare solutions. Find mass, volume, or percent for any solution type.
What is mass/volume percent (m/v%)?
Mass/volume percent (m/v%) is the mass of solute per 100 mL of solution: m/v% = (mass of solute in g / volume of solution in mL) × 100. A 5% m/v NaCl solution contains 5 g NaCl in 100 mL solution. Commonly used in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals. Note: This is equivalent to w/v%.
What is mass percent (m/m%) or weight percent?
Mass percent (m/m%) or weight percent (w/w%) is the mass of solute per 100 g of solution: w/w% = (mass of solute in g / mass of solution in g) × 100. A 10% w/w NaCl solution has 10 g NaCl and 90 g water. This is temperature-independent since mass doesn't change with temperature.
What is volume percent (v/v%)?
Volume percent (v/v%) is the volume of solute per 100 mL of solution: v/v% = (volume of solute in mL / volume of solution in mL) × 100. Used for liquid-liquid solutions like isopropyl alcohol (70% v/v means 70 mL alcohol per 100 mL total). Temperature-dependent.
How do I prepare a percent solution?
For w/w%: Weigh solute, add solvent to reach total mass. For w/v%: Dissolve solute in small amount of solvent, then add solvent to reach final volume (not mass). For v/v%: Measure volume of solute, add solvent to reach final volume. Always use appropriate glassware for volume.
What is the difference between % solution types?
w/v% (g/100mL) - mass per volume, easy to prepare, common in biology. w/w% (g/100g) - mass per mass, most accurate, temperature-independent. v/v% (mL/100mL) - volume per volume, for liquid solutes only. Choose based on what you can measure accurately and the application.
How do I convert between percent types?
For aqueous solutions with density ≈1 g/mL: w/v% ≈ w/w%. More precisely: w/v% = w/w% × density × 10. For v/v% to w/v%: need solute density. The key is converting all to g/L first: w/v% = (g solute / mL solution) × 100.