Question

A molecular biologist measures the mass of cofactor A in an average yeast cell. The mass is 96.15 pg . What is the total mass in micrograms of cofactor A in a yeast colony containing 105 cells? Write your answer as a decimal.

Answer 1

Given data:

Mass of cofactor A in an average yeast cell = 96.15 pg

Now:

1 picogram (pg) = 1*
`10^(-12)` g

1 microgram (ug) = 1*
`10^(-6)` g

Therefore, 1 pg = 1*
`10^(-6)`ug

Mass of cofactor A in one yeast cell = 96.15 *
`10^(-6)` micro gram

Number of cells in the yeast colony = 105

Therefore, the total mass of cofactor A is given as:

Number of cells * mass of cofactor A per cell

= 105 cells * 96.15 *
`10^(-6)` micro grams/cell = 1.009 *
`10^(-2)` micro grams