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Density Specific Gravity Volume

Density is defined as mass per unit volume. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance (usually water). Specific volume is the ratio of the volume of a substance to the volume of an equal mass of the reference substance. Specific gravity and specific volume are reciprocals of each other. Calculations involving specific gravity, density, and specific volume allow for determining weights and volumes of substances.

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794 views26 pages

Density Specific Gravity Volume

Density is defined as mass per unit volume. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance (usually water). Specific volume is the ratio of the volume of a substance to the volume of an equal mass of the reference substance. Specific gravity and specific volume are reciprocals of each other. Calculations involving specific gravity, density, and specific volume allow for determining weights and volumes of substances.

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James Nevin Go
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Density, Specific Gravity, and

Specific Volume
Yewande Dayo
Student Pharmacist
Objectives
 Define density, specific gravity, and specific volume
 Determine each through appropriate calculations
 Calculate specific gravity from data derived from the use
of a pycnometer
 Apply specific gravity correctly in converting weight to
volume and volume to weight
Density
 Density is the mass per unit volume of a substance

 Has units of g/cc or g/mL

 Density = Mass/Volume

 Example:
 Calculate the density of sulfuric acid if 10 mL of sulfuric acid
weighs 18 g.

 Density = 18 (g)/10 (mL) = 1.8 g/mL


Specific Gravity (sp gr)
 Sp gr is a ratio expressed decimally, of the weight of a substance
to the weight of an equal volume of a substance chosen as a
standard.

 Water is the standard for the sp gr of liquids and solids and


hydrogen is the standard for gases.

 Specific gravity = weight of substance


weight of equal volume of water
 What is the specific gravity of sulfuric acid if 10 mL of sulfuric
acid weighs 18 g and 10 mL of water under similar conditions
weighs 10 g?

 Specific gravity = 18 (g)/ 10 (g) = 1.8

 Why is specific gravity important?

 Substances that have sp gr <1 are lighter than water.

 Substances with sp gr >1 are heavier than water.


Density vs. Specific Gravity
 The density of a substance is a concrete number (e.g. 1.8
g/mL)
 Specific gravity is an abstract number (1.8).

 Density varies with the units of measure used (e.g. density of


water is 1 g/mL; 1000 g/L; 62 ½ lb/cu ft), specific gravity has no
units (or dimension) and is a constant value for each substance
(e.g. sp gr of water is always 1)
Calculating the Specific Gravity of Liquids
 The specific gravity of a liquid can be calculated when its
weight and volume are known using the following equation:
 Specific gravity = weight of substance
weight of equal volume of water

e.g. if a pint of a certain liquid weighs 601 g, what is the specific


gravity of the liquid?

Hint : 1pint of water weighs 473g

Sp gr = 601 g/ 473 = 1.27


 If 54.96 mL of an oil weighs 52.78g what is the specific
gravity of the oil.

 Sp gr = 52.78 g/ 54.96 g = 0.9603


Pycnometer or Specific Gravity Bottle
 A pycnometer is a special glass bottle used to determine
specific gravity.
 Determine weight of pycnometer
 Determine weight of pycnometer + water
 Weight of water = (weight of pycnometer + water) –
weight of pycnometer
 Determine weight of pycnometer + liquid
 Weight of liq = (weight of pycnometer + liq) –
weight of pycnometer
 Liquid has equal volume with water!!!
 A 50 mL pycnometer is found to weigh 120 g when empty, 171
g when filled with water and 160 g when filled with an
unknown liquid. Calculate the sp gr of the unknown liquid.

 Weight of water = 171g – 120 g = 51 g


 Weight of liquid = 160 g – 120 g = 40 g
 Sp gr = weight of substance = 40 (g)= 0.78
weight of equal volume of water 51 (g)
Displacement of Plummet Method
 This is based on Archimedes principle
 A body immersed in a liquid displaces an amount of the
liquid equal to its own volume and suffers an apparent loss
in weight equal to the weight of the displaced liquid
 Weight of plummett (in air – in water) = weight of
displaced water
 Weight of plummett (in air - in liquid) = weight of
displaced liquid
wt of displaced oil
sp. gr. of oil = ------------------------------
wt of displaced water
Example
 A glass plummet weighs 12.64 g in air, 8.57 g when immersed
in water, and 9.12 g when immersed in an oil. Calculate the
specific gravity of the oil.

 Weight of plummett(in air – in oil) = 12.64 g – 9.12 g = 3.52 g


of displaced oil

 Weight of plummett (in air - in water) = 12.64 g – 8.57 g =


4.07 g of displaced water

 Sp gr of oil = 3.52 (g)/ 4.07 (g) = 0.865


Calculating Weight using Volume and
Specific Gravity
 From : Specific gravity = weight of substance
weight of equal volume of water

Weight of subs.(g) = Sp gr x weight of eq. vol. of water

weight of equal volume of water = volume of water = volume of


substance

Thus, Weight of subst. = volume of substance x sp gr


or
g = mL x Sp gr
 What is the weight , in grams, of 3620 mL of alcohol with a
specific gravity of 0.820?

 Equal volume of water (3620 mL) weighs = 3620 g

 wt of alcohol = Sp gr x weight of eq.vol. of water

 or,
 g = mL x Sp gr

 = 0.820 x 3620 = 2968 g


Calculating Volume Using Weight and
Specific Gravity
 From the equation:

 weight of substance = vol. of substance x Sp gr

 Volume of substance = weight of substance/ Sp gr

 Or

 mL = g/Sp gr
 What is the volume in pints, of 50 lbs of glycerin having a
specific gravity of 1.25?

 50 lbs = 22,700 g
 Sp gr = 1.25

 mL = 22,700/ 1.25 = 18,160 mL

 The question calls for the volume in pints


 1 pint = 473 mL
 X pint = 18160 mL

 X = 18160/473 = 38.4 pints


 What is the cost of 1000 mL of glycerin, specific gravity
1.25, bought at $54.25 per pound?
olume is defined as an abstract number which is
of theSpecific
volume of aVolume
substance to the volume of
weight of another substance taken as a standard.
he standard for liquids and solids.
olume shows how much greater or smaller in
weight is compared to the same weight of

avity is a comparison of weights of equal


nd specific volume is a comparison of volumes
weights.
ravity and specific volume are reciprocals.
volume of substance
Specific volume = ------------------------------------------------
volume of equal weight of water
 Calculate the specific volume of a syrup, 91.0 mL of which
weighs 107.16 g.

 Weight of syrup = 107.16 g

 Volume of equal weight of water = 107.16

 Specific volume = 91/107.16 = 0.849


 What is the specific volume of phosphoric acid having a
specific gravity of 1.71?
. Oz. of glycerol weighs 74.1 g, what is its specific gravity?
1 fl. Oz. = 30 mL
 870 grams of sucrose are dissolved in 470 mL of water,
and the resulting volume is 1010 mL. Calculate the
specific gravity of the solution.
 In making a certain syrup, 6800 g of sucrose were
dissolved in enough water to make 8 liters. Assuming the
specific gravity of the syrup to be 1.313, how many
milliliters of water were used?
Application
 In pharmacy, it is sometimes necessary to use
concepts of density, specific gravity and specific
volume to determine weights and volumes of certain
liquids
 Viscous liquids such as glycerin are more accurately weighed
than measured in graduated cylinders. Density is used in the
calculations
 Strengths of concentrated acids e.g., H2SO4, HCl are
expressed in percentage w/w. To prepare dilute acid
solutions of strength expressed in percentage w/v it is
necessary to use the specific gravity of the concentrated
acid in the calculations

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