Question

For women in 1960, the average cholesterol count was 206. Like many blood chemistry measurements, this result is measured in units of milligrams per decileter (mg dL⁻¹).

What is the molar concentration of cholesterol in a person with this cholesterol count? (Use 386.64 g mol⁻¹ as the molar mass of cholesterol.)
_____M cholesterol

Answer 1

The molar concentration of cholesterol in a person's blood with an average count of 206 mg/dL is 0.00533 M, or 5.33 mM, using the provided molar mass of cholesterol.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the molar concentration of cholesterol with an average count of 206 mg/dL, we will first convert the mass of cholesterol from milligrams to grams, and then use the molar mass of cholesterol to convert this into moles. The molar concentration (molarity) is then calculated by dividing the number of moles by the volume of the solution in liters.

First, convert the cholesterol count from mg/dL to grams per liter (g/L):
206 mg/dL × 0.01 g/mg × 10 dL/L = 2.06 g/L

Next, convert the mass of cholesterol to moles using the molar mass:
2.06 g ÷ 386.64 g/mol = 0.00533 mol/L (or 5.33 × 10⁻³ mol/L)

The molar concentration of cholesterol in the blood is 0.00533 M, which is the same as 5.33 mM (millimolar).