Q
QuestionNutrition

How many milliequivalents of potassium are in a banana?
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Step 1:
I'll solve this problem step by step, following the specified LaTeX formatting guidelines:

Step 2:
: Understand the Concept

Milliequivalents (mEq) are a way to express the chemical combining power of an electrolyte. For potassium, we'll need to know the typical potassium content in a banana.

Step 3:
: Typical Potassium Content

An average banana contains approximately 422 mg of potassium.

Step 4:
: Calculate Milliequivalents

- Valence of potassium = $$+1
To convert mg to mEq, we need to use the atomic weight and valence of potassium:

Step 5:
: Conversion Calculation

\text{mEq} = \frac{422 \mathrm{~mg}}{39.1 \mathrm{~g/mol}} \times \frac{1 \mathrm{~mol}}{1000 \mathrm{~mg}} \times 1

Step 6:
: Final Calculation

\text{mEq} = \frac{422}{39.1} \times 1 = 10.8 \mathrm{~mEq}

Final Answer

A banana contains approximately 10.8 \mathrm{~mEq} of potassium.