μmol o μmole

English translation: μmol (same unit : mol is the SI abbreviation of mole)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:μmol o μmole
English translation:μmol (same unit : mol is the SI abbreviation of mole)
Entered by: Charles Davis

12:26 Jan 18, 2019
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Science - Chemistry; Chem Sci/Eng / unidad de medida
Spanish term or phrase: μmol o μmole
Hola colegas, quería saber si existe una diferencia respecto de estas unidades y cuándo se emplea cada una

the amount of enzyme required to hydrolyze 1 μmole of heparin disaccharide substrate per hour under the specified assay conditions

la cantidad de enzima necesaria para hidrolizar 1 μmol de sustrato disacárido de heparina por hora, según las condiciones específicas de la determinación

Estuve buscando rato en varios sitios pero no doy con ninguno que explique específicamente esto.
Mauro Monteverdi
Argentina
Local time: 07:19
No difference : mol is the (SI) abbreviation of mole
Explanation:
And of course μmol is the SI abbreviation of μmole, a micromole (a millionth of a mole). I admit it hardly seems worth abbreviating, but there it is.

A mole, for the record, is one of the seven SI base units. It's the unit of measurement for amount of substance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(unit)

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Note added at 12 mins (2019-01-18 12:38:44 GMT)
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In Spanish the issue doesn't arise, because a mole un called a "mol" in Spanish anyway, so the SI abbreviation and the name of the unit are the same: it will always be μmol. Same in German. There's only a difference in English (and, for example, French and Italian).
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:19
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6No difference : mol is the (SI) abbreviation of mole
Charles Davis
5 +1μmol
John Druce
5μmol or μmole
Blacjak


  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
No difference : mol is the (SI) abbreviation of mole


Explanation:
And of course μmol is the SI abbreviation of μmole, a micromole (a millionth of a mole). I admit it hardly seems worth abbreviating, but there it is.

A mole, for the record, is one of the seven SI base units. It's the unit of measurement for amount of substance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(unit)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2019-01-18 12:38:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In Spanish the issue doesn't arise, because a mole un called a "mol" in Spanish anyway, so the SI abbreviation and the name of the unit are the same: it will always be μmol. Same in German. There's only a difference in English (and, for example, French and Italian).

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 11:19
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Fell
34 mins
  -> Thanks, Rachel :-)

agree  Chema Nieto Castañón: Perfectamente explicado. Tanto en inglés como en castellano la forma habitual de expresarlo es como μmol. // Lo de incorrecto no lo tengo tan claro, aunque lo será. No obstante, y dado que aparece así en numerosos textos, tu respuesta es muy clara.
1 hr
  -> Muchas gracias, Chema :-) Como ha señalado John, "μmole" es en realidad incorrecto, a pesar de ser tan frecuente: debe ser "μmol", y la forma no abreviada sería "micromole".

agree  Mohamed Anwar
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Mohamed :-)

agree  Blacjak: We came up with the same answer at the same time. :)
1 hr
  -> Thanks a lot, Blackjak :-) It happens all the time.

agree  Neil Ashby: As a chemist it actually seems weird to see "µmole" I'm so used to just good old "µmol, mmol, mol" etc. It's something we use as a unit all the time, but rarely as a word./Not just preference, as John mentions it's the only correct abbn., e.g. not kmetre!
2 hrs
  -> Many thanks, Neil ;-) Good to have your view here. It seems pretty clear that µmol should be used for preference. As long as we're clear that a mol is a mole: one unit, not two :-)

agree  Debora Blake
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Debora :-)
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28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
μmol


Explanation:
With all respect to the other answerers, I don’t think they are interchangeable, but it is a mistake even chemists make. The unit is the mole and it is abbreviated to mol. The prefix μ represents micro. So μmol is an abbreviation for micromoles. Think of the analogy of kilometres or millimetres; the respective abbreviated prefixes are k and m for kilo or milli. You would get strange looks for writing mmetres or kmetres.

John Druce
Spain
Local time: 11:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: True; "μmole" is incorrect, and this is worth noting. And you're right that it's a common mistake: there are many professional texts (scientific papers and books) online containing "μmole" (though many more with "μmol", of course).
24 mins

disagree  Blacjak: The question was asking if there was a difference between μmol and μmole and when each was used. He was not asking which one was a better translation. As you, yourself state: They are used interchangeably in the literature (correct or not).
1 hr

agree  raptisi
1 day 7 mins
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13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
μmol or μmole


Explanation:
μmol es la abreviatura de μmole así como mol es la abreviatura de mole

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-01-18 14:10:04 GMT)
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Para mayor claridad, "μmol" es el símbolo oficial del SI.


    https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chem
Blacjak
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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