Question

A 113-pound woman eliminates alcohol at a rate of 11 grams per hour. What is her blood alcohol content 3 hours after drinking wine?

Answer 1

To determine the blood alcohol content (BAC), calculate the grams of alcohol consumed and eliminated, then divide by the body weight.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the blood alcohol content (BAC) of a 113-pound woman 3 hours after drinking wine, we need to calculate the amount of alcohol she consumed and then deduct the amount eliminated due to metabolism.

A 750-mL bottle of wine contains 12% ethanol by volume. To find the moles of ethanol in the bottle, we can multiply the volume (750 mL) by the density (0.789 g/mL) and divide by the molar mass of ethanol (46.06 g/mol). This calculation yields the moles of ethanol in the bottle.

Next, we can multiply the rate at which the woman eliminates alcohol (11 grams per hour) by the number of hours of metabolism (3 hours). This calculation provides the grams of alcohol eliminated.

Finally, we can subtract the grams of alcohol eliminated from the initial grams of alcohol consumed and divide by the woman's body weight in pounds to find the blood alcohol content.

Answer 2

Without the initial BAC, we cannot calculate the current BAC of the woman after 3 hours. The woman metabolizes alcohol at a rate of 11 grams per hour and legal impairment often starts at a BAC of 0.08%.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine this 113-pound woman's blood alcohol content (BAC) 3 hours after drinking wine, one would need to know the initial amount of alcohol she consumed.

However, since the question does not provide this initial amount and asks only for the rate of alcohol elimination, we can only discuss the process of metabolism and provide a general explanation.

Alcohol metabolism in humans occurs primarily in the liver, where enzymes break down ethanol into acetaldehyde, and then into acetic acid before it's finally metabolized to carbon dioxide and water.

The rate at which alcohol is processed can vary from person to person, with an average elimination rate of about 3.3 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) per hour. Women tend to metabolize alcohol a bit more slowly than men.

For a legal standpoint, a BAC of 0.08% or higher is considered legally impaired in many places. After three hours, given the woman's elimination rate of 11 grams per hour, without knowing the initial BAC, we cannot accurately calculate her current BAC.