6/18/2018 How is ppm related to concentration - Sequoia ScientificSequoia Scientific

How is ppm related to More in Library

concentration
ppm vs concentration in mg/l or µl/l?
[Sequoia, April 5, 2011]
How is ppm related to concentration?

ppm means parts-per-million. But what parts? The amount of particles in a suspension can be expressed as the total
volume OR total mass of particles in a unit volume of water AND THESE TWO NUMBERS WILL ONLY BE THE SAME
IF THE DENSITY OF THE PARTICLES IS 1 g/cm3.

If ppm is expressed as THE VOLUME of particles to a unit volume of water, then ppm BY VOLUME is equal to µl/l.

However, if ppm is expressed as THE MASS of particles in a unit volume of water, then ppm BY MASS is equal to
mg/l. Our Newsletter
Sign up to get the latest news on
To convert from ppm by volume to ppm by mass, multiply by the density of the particles. For mineral grains (clay, silt Sequoia and our products!
and sand sizes), this will typically be 2.65 g/cm3. For example, a sample with a volume concentration of 25 µl/l will
have a mass concentration of 25*2.65 = 66 mg/l. Subscribe

To convert from ppm by mass to ppm by volume, divide by the density of the particles. For example, a sample with a
mass concentration of 100 mg/l will have a volume concentration of 38 µl/l.

When ppm is used as a measure for the suspended particle concentration, it is therefore very important to specify if
the concentrations are ppm BY VOLUME or ppm BY MASS, to facilitate comparisons with data where the
concentrations are reported in µl/l or mg/l.

###

Questions to this article? Email us!

News MORE NEWS » See Us Next At MORE EVENTS »

PiE-2018 Particles in Europe Conference Announced PiA – Particles in the Americas – 2018
January 12, 2018 September 24 - September 28

LISST-Holo2 available, incorporates major advances OCEAN OPTICS XXIV – Oct. 7th to 12th – Dubrovnik,
August 4, 2017
Croatia
New Accessories for LISST-200X October 7 - October 12
March 22, 2017
PiE – Particles in Europe Conference – 2018
October 14 - October 17

© 2018 Sequoia Scienti c, Inc. • 2700 Richards Road, Suite 107, Bellevue, WA 98005 • Phone (866) 212-2226 - Fax (425) 643-0595 • info@sequoiasci.com

Staff login • Website by RainStorm

https://www.sequoiasci.com/article/how-is-ppm-related-to-concentration/ 1/1