nmol

The nanomole, abbreviated nmol, is the SI unit of amount of substance equal to 10^-9 moles. The prefix nano denotes a factor of 10^-9, so one nanomole is one-billionth of a mole. Because one mole contains Avogadro’s number of entities (approximately 6.022×10^23), one nanomole corresponds to about 6.022×10^14 entities. The nanomole is used for measuring very small quantities in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and related fields.

In practical terms, 1 nmol equals 1×10^-9 mol. Equivalents in other mole-based subunits include 1 nmol = 0.001 µmol (since 1 µmol = 1000 nmol) and 1 nmol = 0.000001 mmol (since 1 mmol = 1000 µmol). Conversely, 1 mole equals 10^9 nmol. These relationships help in converting quantities when preparing solutions, calibrating instruments, or reporting experimental results.

Nanomolar concentration, denoted nM, is related but distinct: 1 nM equals 1 nmol per liter of solution (1 nmol/L). This concentration unit is widely used in biology and biochemistry to express, for example, enzyme inhibitors or ligand binding affinities.

Overall, nmol is a convenient unit for small, discrete amounts of substance, particularly in analytical measurements and when working with limited quantities of reagents.