Nanogram

Nanogram A nanogram (ng) is a unit of mass in the metric system equal to one billionth (1/1,000,000,000) of a gram. The prefix "nano-" denotes a factor of one billionth, and it is commonly used in scientific and technical fields to measure extremely small quantities.

Usage

Nanograms are often used in fields such as chemistry, biology, and medicine to measure very small amounts of substances. For example, the concentration of a particular protein in a blood sample might be measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Similarly, the dosage of certain pharmaceutical drugs can be specified in nanograms.

Conversion

To convert nanograms to other units of mass:

• 1 nanogram (ng) = 0.000000001 grams (g)
• 1 nanogram (ng) = 0.000001 milligrams (mg)
• 1 nanogram (ng) = 0.001 micrograms (µg)

Applications

Nanograms are particularly useful in molecular biology and genetics where the quantities of DNA, RNA, and proteins are often very small. In environmental science, the concentration of pollutants in the air or water can also be measured in nanograms.

Related Units

Other units of mass in the metric system include:

• Milligram (mg)
• Microgram (µg)
• Gram (g)
• Kilogram (kg)

See Also

• Metric system
• Gram
• Microgram
• Milligram
• Kilogram
• Molecular biology
• Pharmaceuticals