APPARATUS

1. Vacuum pump motor

2. 50g of soil sample
3. 50ml of pycnometers with stopper (3)
4. A balance (readable to 0.01g)
5. Funnel
6. Distilled water
7. Vacuum desiccator

Figure 1.0 Vacuum desiccator

PROCEDURE
1. Three 50ml of pycnometers with stopper was labelled as A, B and C.
2. The pycnometers with stopper was weighed by using the balance (stoppers must not be
swapped).
3. The bottle was placed on the balance and was filled with the sample little by little by using
the funnel until it reached to the desired weight.
4. The desired weight has been recorded.
5. Step 3 and 4 was repeated for other bottles (pycnometers).
6. Distilled water was poured into the bottle (just to cover the soil) by tilting the bottle
slightly and the bottles were stirred carefully until the contents inside are evenly equal.
7. The pycnometers (without stopper) were placed inside the vacuum desiccator and left it for
at least 1 hour.
8. The vacuum was released and the lid was removed after the sizzling sound was gone.
9. The sample was stirred carefully and more distilled water was added until up to the neck of
the bottle. The stopper was inserted until the water was splashed up from the stopper.
10. The pycnometer with stopper were wiped gently and the weight was recorded by using
the balance.
11. The pycnometers were cleaned out and dried (by using regular water and distilled water)
12. The cleaned pycnometers were weighted to the nearest 0.0019(m4 ).