Normal saline contains how many mEq of sodium per liter?

Normal saline, which is a solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) in water, is commonly used in medical situations for fluid replacement and hydration. To understand the sodium content in normal saline, it is important to know the molecular weight of sodium chloride and its dissociation in solution.

Normal saline typically contains 0.9% NaCl, which means there are 9 grams of NaCl in 1 liter of solution. Sodium chloride dissociates into sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) ions when dissolved in water.

To calculate the amount of sodium ions in milliequivalents (mEq), we first find the amount in grams:

• The molecular weight of sodium chloride (NaCl) is approximately 58.5 grams per mole.

Since there are 9 grams of NaCl in 1 liter of normal saline:

• Number of moles of NaCl = 9 grams / 58.5 grams/mole ≈ 0.154 moles.

Because each mole of NaCl contributes one mole of sodium ions (Na⁺), we can say there are also 0.154 moles of Na⁺ in 1 liter of normal saline. To convert this to m