Question

A molecular biologist measures the mass of cofactor A in an average yeast cell. The mass is 96.15 pg . What is the total mass in micrograms of cofactor A in a yeast colony containing 105 cells? Write your answer as a decimal.

Answer 1

Given data:

Mass of cofactor A in an average yeast cell = 96.15 pg

Now:

1 picogram (pg) = 1*$10^{-12}$ g

1 microgram (ug) = 1*$10^{-6}$ g

Therefore, 1 pg = 1*$10^{-6}$ug

Mass of cofactor A in one yeast cell = 96.15 * $10^{-6}$ micro gram

Number of cells in the yeast colony = 105

Therefore, the total mass of cofactor A is given as:

Number of cells * mass of cofactor A per cell

= 105 cells * 96.15 *$10^{-6}$ micro grams/cell = 1.009 * $10^{-2}$ micro grams