Answer :
There are a) 50 mEq in 1 gram of calcium.
To determine how many milliequivalents (mEq) are in 1 gram of calcium (Ca), we first need to understand the concept of equivalents and how they relate to milliequivalents.
Molar Mass of Calcium:
The molar mass of calcium (Ca) is approximately 40.08 g/mol.Understanding Equivalent (Eq):
An equivalent (Eq) is defined as the amount of a substance that reacts with or supplies one mole of hydrogen ions (H+) in a reaction. For calcium, which has a +2 charge when it dissociates in solution, 1 mole of Ca provides 2 equivalents.Converting Grams to Equivalents:
To convert grams of calcium to equivalents, we use the formula:
[tex]\text{Eq} = \frac{\text{grams}}{\text{equivalent weight}}[/tex]
Since the equivalent weight of calcium is its molar mass divided by the number of charges (2), the equivalent weight is [tex]\frac{40.08 \text{ g/mol}}{2} = 20.04 \text{ g/Eq}[/tex].Calculating Equivalents:
Now, we can calculate the equivalents in 1 gram of calcium:
[tex]\text{Eq} = \frac{1 \text{ g}}{20.04 \text{ g/Eq}} \approx 0.0499 \text{ Eq}[/tex]Converting to Milliequivalents:
Since 1 equivalent equals 1000 milliequivalents:
[tex]0.0499 \text{ Eq} \times 1000 = 49.9 \text{ mEq}[/tex]Conclusion:
Therefore, rounding to an appropriate number of significant figures, we find that 1 gram of calcium is approximately 50 mEq.
