Final answer:
To determine the minimum molecular mass of the protein, we can use the given concentration of cobalt in the protein. By setting up a proportion and solving for x, we find that the minimum molecular mass of the protein is 10,000 g/mol.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the minimum molecular mass of the protein, we need to consider the concentration of cobalt in the protein. Since the protein contains 0.214% cobalt by mass, we can assume that 0.214g of cobalt is present in 100g of the protein. Using this information, we can set up a proportion to find the minimum molecular mass of the protein:
0.214g cobalt / 100g protein = x g cobalt / molecular mass of protein
Solving for x, we find that x = 0.214g cobalt * (molecular mass of protein) / 100g protein. Therefore, the minimum molecular mass of the protein is 100 * (0.214g cobalt / 0.214%) = 100 * (0.214g cobalt / 0.00214g protein) = 10,000 g/mol.