GenAlex Medical, a leading manufacturer of medical laboratory equipment, is designing a new automated system that can detect normal levels of dissolved triiodothyronine ( to ), using a blood sample that is as small as . Calculate the minimum mass in picograms of triiodothyronine that the new system must be able to detect. Be sure your answer has the correct number of significant digits.

0.87 pg

Explanation:

GenAlex Medical, a leading manufacturer of medical laboratory equipment, is designing a new automated system that can detect normal levels of dissolved triiodothyronine (230. to 660 pg/dL), using a blood sample that is as small as 380 μL. Calculate the minimum mass in picograms of triiodothyronine that the new system must be able to detect. Be sure your answer has the correct number of significant digits.

Step 1: Convert 380 μL to deciliters

We will use the following conversion factors.

380 μL × 1 L/10⁶ μL × 10 dL/1 L = 3.8 × 10⁻³ L

Step 2: Calculate the minimum mass of triiodothyronine that can be found in a 3.8 × 10⁻³ L blood sample

Since we are looking for the minimum mass, we will use the lower limit of the concentration interval (230. pg/dL).

3.8 × 10⁻³ L × 230. pg/dL = 0.87 pg