The proteins in a mammalian cell account for 18% of its net weight. If the density of a typical mammalian cell is about 1.1 g/mL, and the volume of the cell is 4x10-9 mL, what is the concentration of protein in mg/mL?

1.1E3 mg/mL * 0.18 = ?

masscell=density(volume)=1.1g/ml * 4e-9ml=4.4e-9grams

mass protein=.18*4.4e-9 grams

protein= mass/volume= .18*4.4e-9/4e-9 g ml=1.1*.18 mg/ml

bob ... could you please check your calculations (and units)

To find the concentration of protein in mg/mL, we need to determine the mass of protein within the given volume.

Step 1: Calculate the mass of the mammalian cell.
Given that the density of the cell is 1.1 g/mL and the volume of the cell is 4 × 10^-9 mL, we can calculate the mass using the formula:
mass = density × volume

mass = 1.1 g/mL × 4 × 10^-9 mL

Step 2: Calculate the mass of proteins in the cell.
Since proteins account for 18% of the net weight of the cell, we can calculate the mass of proteins using the formula:
mass of proteins = (18/100) × mass of the cell

mass of proteins = (18/100) × mass

Step 3: Convert the mass of proteins to mg.
Since we want the protein concentration in mg/mL, we need to convert the mass of proteins to milligrams. There are 1000 milligrams in a gram.

Therefore, the concentration of protein in mg/mL can be obtained by dividing the mass of proteins in milligrams by the volume of the cell in milliliters.

Let's calculate it step by step:

Step 1:
mass = 1.1 g/mL × 4 × 10^-9 mL
mass = 4.4 × 10^-9 g

Step 2:
mass of proteins = (18/100) × 4.4 × 10^-9 g

Step 3:
concentration of protein = mass of proteins / volume of the cell

Now we can substitute the values to find the solution.