To find out how many milliosmoles (mOsm) of magnesium chloride (MgCl2) are equal to 5 millimoles (mmoles) of it, we need to consider its dissociation in solution.
1. Understanding Dissociation:
Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) dissociates into three ions in solution:
[tex]\[ \text{MgCl}_2 \rightarrow \text{Mg}^{2+} + 2\text{Cl}^- \][/tex]
Therefore, each formula unit of MgCl2 produces:
- 1 ion of Mg²⁺
- 2 ions of Cl⁻
2. Number of Particles Upon Dissociation:
Since each formula unit of MgCl2 dissociates into 3 particles (1 Mg²⁺ and 2 Cl⁻), we need to account for this in our osmolarity calculation.
3. Calculation of mOsm:
- Given:
[tex]\[ \text{5 mmoles of MgCl}_2 \][/tex]
- The number of particles generated per mole of MgCl2:
[tex]\[ \text{3 particles per mole (1 Mg²⁺ and 2 Cl⁻)} \][/tex]
- Therefore, the mOsm calculation is:
[tex]\[ \text{mOsm} = \text{mmoles} \times \text{number of particles per formula unit} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{mOsm} = 5 \, \text{mmoles} \times 3 \][/tex]
Hence, for 5 mmoles of MgCl2:
[tex]\[ \text{mOsm} = 5 \times 3 = 15 \text{ mOsm} \][/tex]
Therefore, 5 millimoles of magnesium chloride (MgCl2) is equal to 15 milliosmoles (mOsm).
