High School

Thank you for visiting If the intracellular concentration of Ca 2 is 10 mEq L and the extracellular concentration is 170 mEq L what would be the equilibrium potential. This page is designed to guide you through key points and clear explanations related to the topic at hand. We aim to make your learning experience smooth, insightful, and informative. Dive in and discover the answers you're looking for!

If the intracellular concentration of Ca\(^{2+}\) is 10 mEq/L and the extracellular concentration is 170 mEq/L, what would be the equilibrium potential?

A. -37.9 mV
B. -71.8 mV
C. +35.9 mV
D. +37.5 mV

Answer :

Final answer:

By applying the Nernst equation and using the given intracellular and extracellular concentrations for Ca2+, the equilibrium potential for Ca2+ can be calculated as approximately +37.5mV, making D. +37.5mV the correct answer.

Explanation:

To determine the equilibrium potential for calcium ions (Ca2+) across a cell membrane, we can apply the Nernst equation. The Nernst equation calculates the potential difference (voltage) across the membrane that would be required to balance the concentration gradients of a particular ion.

  1. Identify the concentrations of Ca2+ inside and outside the cell: intracellular = 10mEq/L, extracellular = 170mEq/L.
  2. Convert concentrations from mEq/L to mol/L (since 1mEq of Ca2+ = 0.5 mmol/L due to its +2 charge): intracellular = 0.01*0.5 = 0.005 mol/L, extracellular = 0.17*0.5 = 0.085 mol/L.
  3. Apply the Nernst equation: E = (RT/zF) * ln([Ca2+]outside / [Ca2+]inside), where R is the ideal gas constant, T is the temperature in Kelvin, z is the valence of the ion, and F is the Faraday constant.
  4. At body temperature (37°C), which is 310K, and using the constants R = 8.314 J/mol°K and F = 96485 C/mol, we can calculate the equilibrium potential.
  5. Finally, we get the equilibrium potential for Ca2+ which in this case is positive, meaning the answer is either C or D from the provided options.

After performing the calculation with the correct values and units, we can find that the equilibrium potential for Ca2+ is approximately +37.5mV. Thus the correct answer is D. +37.5mV.

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Rewritten by : Jeany