Question:

"chlorophyll a" chemistry problem?

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

Chlorophyll a is essential for photosynthesis. It contains 2.72% magnesium by mass. What is the molar mass of chlorophyll a assuming there is one atom of magnesium in every molecule of chlorophyll a?

Can anyone lead me in the right direction? I'm a little lost.

 Tags:

   Report

2 ANSWERS


  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQp7ZDtR0...


  2. This is more of a math problem then a chemistry one. You have chlorophyll a molecule with a atom of magnesium in it.

    The atomic mass of magnesium is 24.31. We know the 2.72% of the entire mass of chlorphyll a is the mass of one Mg.

    24.31amu = (.0272) *(chlorophyll a molar mass)

    chlorophyll a molar mass = 893.75amu

    This is middle school math and I had to think about it my self too. What I did to make it easier, is make a hypothetical example.



    You have 27 potatoes. And 27 potatoes is 6.0% of the total number of potatoes at the market. So:

    (Total number of potatoes) * (.06) = 27 potatoes

    Total number of potatoes = 450

    Chlorphyll? Sounds more like bore-o-phyll. lol

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 2 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.