Final answer:
To find the minimum mass of succimer needed to bind all of the lead in a patient's bloodstream, we need to calculate the amount of lead in the bloodstream, convert it to moles, and use the mole ratio to find the moles of succimer needed. Finally, we convert the moles of succimer to mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the minimum mass of succimer needed to bind all of the lead in a patient's bloodstream, we need to calculate the amount of lead in the bloodstream and convert it to moles using its molar mass. Then, we can use the mole ratio between succimer and lead to find the moles of succimer needed, and finally convert it to mass.
The blood lead level is given as 48 μg/dL, and the total blood volume is 5.0 L. First, we convert the blood lead level to grams by dividing by 10^6, giving us 0.048 mg/dL. Then, we multiply this by the total blood volume to find the total mass of lead in the bloodstream, which is 0.048 mg/dL * 5.0 L = 0.24 mg.
Since one mole of succimer binds one mole of lead, the moles of succimer needed is equal to the moles of lead. We can convert the mass of lead to moles using its molar mass, which is 207.2 g/mol, and then convert the moles of lead to mass of succimer using its molar mass, which is the same as lead's molar mass. Therefore, the minimum mass of succimer needed is 0.24 mg * (1 g/1000 mg) * (1 mol/207.2 g) = 1.16 × 10^-3 mol * 207.2 g/mol = 0.037 mg.