lOMoARcPSD|16683526

CLINICAL CHEMISTRY: TEMPERATURE CONVERSATIONS

TO CONVERT INTO USE
LABORATORTY MATHEMATICS AND Centigrade (°C) Kelvin (°K) °K = C + 273
CONVERSIONS Centigrade (°C) Fahrenheit (°F) °F = (°C x 1.8) + 32
UNIT CONVERSIONS Fahrenheit (°F) Centigrade (°C) °C = (°F – 32) x 0.556

3 METHODS OF MEASUREMENTS TEMPERATURE CONVERSATIONS

International System Unit Metric Measurement TO INTO USE
(SI unit) Customary Units CONVERT
% w/v Molarity (M) M = % w/v x 10
BASIC UNITS GMW
MEASUREMENTS NAME SYMBOL % w/v Normality (N) N = % w/v x 10
Length Meter m eq wt
Mass Kilogram kg mg/dL mEq/L mEq/L = mg/dL x 10
Quantity of substance Mole mol eq wt
Molarity Normality N = M x valence
Time Second s
Electric current Ampere A
CONVERSION OF TRADITIONAL UNITS TO SI UNITS FOR
Thermodynamic temperature Kelvin K
COMMON CHEMISTRY ANALYTES
Luminous intensity Candela cd
CONVENTIONAL / SI UNIT CONVERSION
CURRENT FACTOR
PREFIXES USED WITH SI UNIT Albumin g/100 mL g/L 10
FACTOR PREFIX SYMBOL Ammonia µg/dL µmol/L 0.587
10 -18 atto a Aspartate U/L (mU/mL) µkat/L 0.0167
10-15 femto f amino
10-12 pico p transferase
10-19 nano n (AST)
10-6 micro µ Bicarbonate mEq/L mmol/L 1.0
10 -3 milli m (HCO3)
10-2 centi c Bilirubin mg/dL µmol/L 17.1
10-1 deci d Blood urea mg/dL mmol/L 0.357
nitrogen (BUN)
101 deka da
Calcium mg/dL mmol/L 0.25
102 hector h
Chloride mEq/L mmol/L 1.0
103 kilo k
Cholesterol mg/dL mmol/L 0.026
10 6 mega M
Cortisol µg/dL µmol/L 0.0276
109 giga G Creatinine mg/dL µmol/L 88.4
1015 peta P Creatinine mL/min mL/s 0.0167
10 18 exa E clearance
• NOTE: Prefixes are used to indicate a subunit of multiple Folic acid ng/mL mmol/L 2.27
of a basic SI unit Glucose mg/dL mmol/L 0.0555
LENGTH, VOLUME, WEIGHT CONVERSATIONS Hemoglobin g/dL g/L 10
TO CONVERT INTO MULTIPLY BY Iron mg/dL µmol/L 0.179
Inches Centimeters 2.54 Lithium mEq/L µmol/L 1.0
Centimeters Inches 0.39 Magnesium mEq/L mmol/L 0.5
Yards Meters 0.91 Osmolality mOsm/kg mmol/kg 1.0
Meters Yards 1.09 Phosphorus mg/dL mmol/L 0.323
Gallons (US) Liters 3.78 Potassium mEq/L mmol/L 1.0
Liters Gallons (US) 0.26 Sodium mEq/L mmok/L 1.0
Fluid ounces (US) Milliliters 29.6 Thyroxine (T4) µg/dL nmol/L 12.9
Milliliters Fluid ounces (US) 0.034 Total protein g/dL g/L 10
Ounces Grams 28.4 Triglyceride mg/dL mmol/L 0.0113
Uric acid mg/dL mmol/L 0.0595
Grams Ounces 0.015
Vitamin B12 ng/mL pmol/L 0.0738
Pounds Kilograms 0.45
PCO2 mm/Hg kPa 0.133
Kilograms Pounds 2.2
PO2 mm/Hg kPa 0.133

1|CLINICAL CHEMISTRY
 lOMoARcPSD|16683526

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• DENSITY is expressed as mass per unit volume of a
substance (grams per milliliter → g/mL)
• The SPECIFIC GRAVITY is the ratio of the density of a
material when compared with the density of pure water
at a given temperature and allows the laboratory scientist
a means of expressing density in terms of volume.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY = CONCENTRATION X ASSAY VALUE
• EXAMPLE 1: What is the actual weight of a supply of
concentrated HCl whose label reads specific gravity 1.19
with an assay value of 37%?

• EXAMPLE 2: What is the molarity of this stock solution? The

final units desired are moles per liter (mol/L). The molarity
of the solution is

DILUTION
• This represents the ratio of concentrated or stock
material to the total final volume of a solution and consists
of the volume or weight of the concentrate plus the
volume of the diluent, with the concentration units
remaining the same.
• In the molar, normal or percentage solutions, the
amount of solute contained in a given volume of solution
is equal to the product of volume times the concentration.
• Whenever the solution is diluted, the VOLUME IS
INCREASED and its CONCENTRATION IS DECREASED but the
total amount of solute remained unchanged.

SOLUTION PREPARATION

SOLUTION It is a homogeneous mixture of two or more

substances with each substance retaining
its own chemical identity
SOLVENT It is the component of a solution that is REFERENCE:
present in the greatest amount Bishop et al., (2018). Clinical Chemistry – Principles,
SOLUTE It is a component of a solution that is Techniques and Correlations (8th Edition)
present in a lesser amount relative to that of
the solvent

CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE SOLUTES ARE EXPRESSED:

Percent solutions Molality
Molarity Normality

2|CLINICAL CHEMISTRY