Chapter 4, Problem 97E

Lead poisoning is a serious condition resulting from the ingestion of lead in food, water, or other environmental sources. It affects the central nervous system, leading to a variety of symptoms such as distractibility, lethargy, and loss of motor coordination. Lead poisoning is treated with chelating agents, substances that bind to metal ions, allowing the lead to be eliminated in the Urine. A modern chelating agent used for this purpose is succimer $(C_4{H}_6{O}_4{S}_2)$ . Suppose you are trying to determine the appropriate dose for succimer treatment of lead poisoning. Assume that a patient’s blood lead levels are $45\mu g/dL$ , that total blood volume is 5.0 L, and that one mole of succimer binds one mole of lead. What minimum mass of succimer (in mg) is needed to bind all of the patient’s bloodstream?