Density (ρ) – mass per unit volume

m (g)
ρ= v (mL)
Absolute density
– mass is determined in vacuum

Apparent density
– mass is determined in air
Difference between absolute density and
apparent density.

The mass of the object determined in air is

influenced by the difference in buoyant effect of air
on the object being weighed and on the standard
masses used for comparison.
 Specific gravity (Sp. gr.)
– weight of the substance to the weight of an equal
volume of another substance taken as standard
– relative density
– no unit

Wt. of subs. in air

Sp. gr.  x Sp. gr. of std. liq.
Wt. of an equal volume of standard liquid

or wt. of std. liq. displaced

or loss of wt. of the subs. in the std. liq.
Standard for the determination
of specific gravity:
a) solid and liquid – water
b) gas – air or hydrogen

Temperature at which the specific gravity of a substance

is determined  25°C;
for alcohol  15.56°C
Specific gravity ranges from 0.534 to 22.48

0.534 – Li – lightest metal

22.48 – Os – heaviest metal
In metric system, density is numerically equal to specific
gravity but not in the English system.

Density of water = 62.4 lb/ft3

Specific gravity of water = 1
Ex. Given:
10 mL of water weighs 10 g
10 mL of mercury weighs 136 g
Find the density and specific gravity of mercury

m (g) 136 g
ρ=   13.6 g/mL
v (mL) 10 mL
Wt. of Hg in air
Sp. gr. of Hg  x Sp. gr. of water
Wt. of an equal volume of water

136 g
Sp. gr. of Hg  x 1.0  13.6
10 g
 USP METHOD
OF DETERMINING
THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY
OF SOLIDS
Specific gravity bottle or Pycnometer:

• substance in powder form or small granules

• the previously weighed substance is dropped into

the bottle which is then filled with the standard liquid
at a temp. of 25ºC

• Powder must be agitated with a small quantity of

standard, before adding the rest to eliminate adhering
bubbles of air, which would introduce error
 Wa
Sp.gr. 
Wa  Wpyc w/ water - Wpyc.w/Sx & water

Wa
Sp.gr.  x Sp. gr. of std. liq.
Wa  Wpyc w/ std. liq . - Wpyc.w/Sx & std. liq .
 USP METHOD
OF DETERMINING
THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY
OF LIQUIDS
A. Pycnometer Method (Leach Pycnometer):

• most accurate method for the

determination of the sp. gr. of liquids

Ex. Determine the specific gravity

of alcohol

Wpyc w/ alc. - Wpycempty

Sp.gr. of alc. 
Wpyc w/ water - Wpycempty
B. Floatation Method :
• Archimedes’ principle
When a solid body is placed in a liquid in which it is capable of
floating, it sinks to a depth where the body has displaced a volume of
liquid exactly equal to its own weight.
1. Hydrometers – instruments calibrated to indicate the sp.
gr. of a liquid corresponding to the depth to which the
hydrometer sinks in the liquid
 Types of Hydrometers
A.) Constant weight with variable depth of immersion
1.) Baume. Twadell, Cartier
2.) Alcoholometer – hydrometer w/ thermometer
Tralles’, Gay-Lussac hydrometer

Baume Twadell Tralles’

B.) Constant depth of immersion with variable
weight
1.) Nicholson’s
2.) Fahrenheit’s
3.) Lovis’ beads (Sp. gr. beads)

Nicholson’s
 Lovis’ beads
Useful in the ff. operations:
• boiling liquid is to be evaporated until it has a given
sp. gr.
• mixing of liquids of different densities

• Balloon-shaped hollow globules of glass of different sizes and weights

• Sp. gr. figures scratched on their sides
•Those heavier than the liquid – sink ; lighter – float
• those remains indifferently suspended indicates the sp. gr. of the liquid
2. Mohr Westphal Balance
•A plummet (5 mL) suspended from the beam of the
balance is immersed in the liquid to be tested
• the plummet is subjected to a buoyant effect
equivalent to the liquid displaced
• the buoyant effect is measured by placing various
weights on the notched beam of the balance to
effect submersion of the plummet to a constant
reference point
C. Manometric Method :
• Fisher-Davidson Gravitometer

• inverse proportionality of the density and height of the sample

and standard in the z-tube and L-tube
• Standard: CCl4 & ethyl benzene

ht. of Sx density of std.


ht. of std. density of Sx
Specific volume (Sp. vol.)
– volume of the substance to the volume of an equal
weight of another substance taken as standard
– no unit

1 1 v
Sp. vol.   
Sp. gr.  m
It’s TIME to solve your problem set.