A cell has a mass of 4.0 ng. Take 80 % of it as water, 12 % as proteins and 6 % as nucleic acids…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A cell has a mass of . Take of it as water, as proteins and as nucleic acids.
- How much water is in the cell?
- How much protein?
- How much nucleic acid?
- How much is left for carbohydrates, lipids and ions together?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Grinding a tissue in trichloroacetic acid and straining it gives the filtrate (the acid-soluble pool of small molecules) and the retentate (the acid-insoluble fraction of large molecules). Lipids are small but come down with the large ones inside membrane vesicles. Drying removes water; burning dry matter leaves ash, the inorganic elements. A cell is 70 to 90 per cent water. Primary metabolites have known roles; secondary metabolites include alkaloids, rubber, drugs, pigments and gums.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. Water. .
Step 2. Proteins. .
Step 3. Nucleic acids. .
Step 4. The rest. The three shares add to , so is left: .
Answer: ; ; ; .
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