I know there’s a formula for this. Infinit’s site has it programmed in—maybe Michael can answer.
why, with an osmometer, of course.
Advanced Instruments Introduces Model 3320 Osmometer – New Diagnostic Instrument Sets Standards for Precision and Accuracy
Advanced Instruments, Inc., today introduced the Advanced® Model 3320 Osmometer, the industry’s most accurate and reliable instrument for osmolality measurement.
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, March 7, 2005 – Advanced Instruments, Inc., today introduced the Advanced® Model 3320 Osmometer, the industry’s most accurate and reliable instrument for osmolality measurement. The company debuted the new osmometer at the CLMA/ASCP Thinklab '05 Conference & Exhibition in Chicago.
Osmometry, a measurement of osmolality by the freezing-point method, is an important diagnostic method used in hospital, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries.
“The Model 3320 surpasses previous standards of performance for freezing-point measurement,” said Ken Micciche, director, marketing, Advanced Instruments. “A user selectable, optional calibration routine optimizes the linearity in the instrument’s upper range (up to 2,000 mOsm). This capability ensures testing accuracy and precision over the entire calibrated range,” he said.
The instrument has been completely redesigned in a low-profile, compact enclosure for easy access to the sample probe and solenoid assembly. Its simple architecture eliminates sample errors, simplifies testing, and promotes maintenance-free operation.
Other Model 3320 features include:
60-second testing timeBar code capability for improved documentationElectronic storage and retrieval of up to 30 tests and calibration dataOn-board statistical analysis for mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variationMultiple language capabilityData export capability for linking to an external computerDownloadable software upgrades
“A wide range of customer feedback was incorporated to make the Model 3320 a truly impressive, state-of-the-art solution for freezing-point measurement,” said Micciche. “This osmometer is ideal for clinical and diagnostic laboratories seeking greater control and accuracy, minimal downtime, and higher productivity.”
The Model 3320 is on display at Advanced Instruments’ Booth 332 at the CLMA/ASCP
Thinklab '05 Conference & Exhibition on March 5-8, 2005, and will be available for delivery starting June 1, 2005.
Perfect gift for Father’s Day! For the triathlete dad who really does have everything…
LOL
Seriously though I know there’s a formula out there—someone here must know it.
Wow! Anyone who has one of those for mixing their energy and recovery drinks is taking tri-geekdom to a new levels!
osmolality = molality x n x f
n: number of particles that dissociated from the solute molecule.
f: osmotic coefficient of the solute
does that help?
lol
You need the molecular weight of the compound and the number of particles it splits into in solution.
For sugars and proteins the molecular weight may be hard to get but the number of particles is almost always 1.
For electrolytes the molecular weight is easy to find but the number of particles it splits into is a bit of difficulty.
Osmolarity = (sum of(grams of solute / molecular weight of solute))/ liters of solution
Irondad-
That calculator seems pretty cool but it doesn’t let you input the amount of fluid being used or am I missing something?
As someone already mentioned, the difficulty comes in with things (chemical substances) that dissolve into multiple products. For instance, salt, sodium chloride, is an ionic compound, so one molecule of salt in a crystal becomes two ions of Na+ and Cl- in solution. Salt, and many other chemical substances continue to dissolve until they reach a saturation point, or also called an equilibrium point. Adding more salt after this point will not increase the amount of dissolved salt in the solution. Instead it will generally just sink to the bottom of the container. Having other substances present in the solution can affect the saturation point of salt has well, generally decreasing its solubility.
Bottom line, when it comes to a solution of carbohydrate (which may be of varying molecular weight and not homogeneous), proteins (probably as either individual amino acids or short peptides, often present as a salt as well), electrolytes, and who knows what else, it is very unlikely, not too mention pretty darn difficult to calculate the osmolarity, even if you have all the dissociation constants available.
There are experimental methods for measuring osmolarity which are quite independent of the chemical substances present. Besides the aforementioned osmometer, you pick any of a number of colligative properties such as freezing point depression to determine the osmolarity. If you get really good, you can even determine molecular weight of your carbohydrate (assuming it is a homogeneous mixture).
Dudes…you guys are taking this trigeek technobabble to new levels. What ever happened to putting your head down, hammering till your legs or lungs burned, backing it off a bit and doing it for 10+ hours and eating and drinking whatever works in training using the Monty approved “trial and error system” 
Yeah, I get all this stuff, but the reality is that on any given day, depending on the conditions, your body will react differently to the concentration of nutrients/liquids/salts in your stomach, so if you train and race enough, eventually you’ll figure out what will work on a given day, given the conditions and the speed you are going at…of course…this might take several years, so yeah, what the heck, let’s crack open the high school chemistry books and save ourselves 100 races of trial and error (see, you guys talked me into it).
I just know that this Infinit stuff that Folan has me on really works. I just dial up the electrolytes and carbs full tilt, dial the protein down to minimum and stick 600 calories in a large bottle…then I am good to go, regardless of race distance. The amount of solids I can take on top of this is pretty what I vary (based on conditions, intensity, distance…).
Last week at our Epicman training day, I tried to go “all out” and experiment with how much I could absorb on a 180K bike. I ended up 2000 calories from Infinit, plus 3 bars, a gel, a banana and a bagel with peanut butter and jam…total was 3600 calories over 6 hours…OK, that last 300 calories from the bagel with peanut butter and jam was totally unrequired, and my stomach was somewhat unsettled starting the 21K run. Go figure…3600 calories in 6 hours in 90 degree heat…what was I thinking…oh well, it was an interesting experiment.
Dev
Dev, osmolarity is basic chemistry, and rears its head again in physical chemistry. It was around a long, long time before triathlons were ever even a gleam in some crazy persons eye.
I have one if you are bored and want me to run something.
Boiling point elevation would probably be easier to measure at home…
There are experimental methods for measuring osmolarity which are quite independent of the chemical substances present. Besides the aforementioned osmometer, you pick any of a number of colligative properties such as freezing point depression to determine the osmolarity.