Chapter 13: Problem 40

A 12.5 kg sample of shark meat contained 22 mg of methyl mercury, \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{Hg}^{+} .\) Is this amount within the legal limit of 1.00 ppm of methyl mercury in meat?

Short Answer

Expert verified

No, the amount of methyl mercury in the meat is not within the legal limit.

Step by step solution

Define the Problem

We need to check if the amount of methyl-mercury in the shark meat exceeds the legal limit of 1.00 ppm. To check this, we will calculate the amount of mercury in parts per million.

Convert the Methyl Mercury Mass To Grams

The Mercury content is given in milligrams. We need to convert this to grams, since the mass of the shark meat is also in grams. We know that 1g = 1000 mg, therefore the mass of Mercury in grams is \( \frac{22}{1000} = 0.022 \) g.

Calculate Parts Per Million (ppm)

After we have the masses in the same units, we can perform the calculation for ppm. By definition, 1ppm = 1mg per 1kg. To calculate this, we will have to divide the mass of Mercury by the mass of the meat, then multiply by \(10^6 \) to get the answer in ppm. This is given by the equation \( ppm = \frac{Mass of Mercury in gram}{Mass of shark meat in kg} \times 10^6 \). Substituting the relevant values, we get \( ppm = \frac{0.022 g}{12.5 kg} \times 10^6 = 1.76 \) ppm.

Check Against the Legal Limit

Now that we have calculated the amount of methyl mercury in ppm, we compare this value to the legal limit of methyl mercury in meat of 1.00 ppm. Since 1.76 ppm is greater than 1.00 ppm, the amount of methyl mercury in the shark meat is above the legal limit.

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A 12.5 kg sample of shark meat contained 22 mg of methyl mercury, \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{Hg}^{+} .\) Is this amount within the legal limit of 1.00 ppm of methyl mercury in meat?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Define the Problem

Convert the Methyl Mercury Mass To Grams

Calculate Parts Per Million (ppm)

Check Against the Legal Limit

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