What is a mEq and How is it Used in Scientific Measurements?

A milliequivalent (mEq) is a unit of measurement that represents the amount of a substance, typically a base or an acid, in a solution. It is defined as one-thousandth of an equivalent, which is a measure of the amount of a substance that can react with another substance to form a chemical compound.

In other words, if you have 1 mEq of a substance, it means you have 1/1000th of an equivalent weight of that substance. For example, if you have 1 mEq of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), it means you have 1 gram of NaOH dissolved in 1 liter of water.

The term "milli" is used to indicate that the unit is a fraction of an equivalent, and "equivalent" refers to the amount of a substance that can react with another substance to form a chemical compound. The symbol "mEq" is often used in scientific literature and in laboratory settings to express the concentration of a solution.