PPHARM MIDTERMS
Density
➢ describes how compact or concentrated something
is. For example, suppose you have two boxes, one
large and one small. However, they both weigh the
same. That means the small box has a higher
density than the large box.
➢ Density is the substance’s mass per unit of volume.
Mathematically, density is defined as mass divided
by volume (g/cc)
mass
Density = _______
Volume
Thus, if 10mL of olive oil weighs 9.1g, its density is:
9.1(g)
Density= _______=0.91 grams per milliliter
10(mL)
Specific Gravity
➢ The term “specific gravity” is used to define the
weight or density of a liquid as compared to the
density of an equal volume of water at a specific
temperature.
➢ Specific gravity (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 for liquids and solids; while
hydrogen for gases).
➢ Ratio of the weight of a given volume of a
substance to the weight of an equal volume of
some reference substance, or, equivalently, the
ratio of the masses of equal volumes of two
substances.
Specific gravity = Weight of substance
Wt of equal volume of water
Methods of Determining Specific Gravity measured under controlled conditions). Thus,
➢ A number of experimental methods for determining whereas the density of water may be variously
the specific gravities of solids, liquids, and gases expressed as 1 g/mL, 1000g/L 62.5 lb/cu ft, the
have been devised. A solid is weighed first in air, specific gravity of water is always 1.
then while immersed in water; the difference in the ➢ Substances that have a specific gravity less than 1
two weights, according to Archimedes Principle, are lighter than water.
is the weight of the water displaced by the volume ➢ Substances that have specific gravity greater than
of the solid. If the solid is less dense than water, 1 are heavier than water.
some means must be adopted to fully submerge it, ➢ In the United States Pharmacopeia, the standard
e.g., a system of pulleys or a snicker of known temperature for specific gravities is 25°C, except
mass and volume. The specific gravity of the solid for that of alcohol, which is 15.56°C by government
is the ratio of its weight in air to the difference regulation.
between its weight in air and its weight immersed in
water.
Two methods commonly used for determining the
specific gravities of liquids:
a) One method uses the hydrometer, an instrument
that gives a specific gravity reading directly.
b) A second method, called the bottle method, uses
a “specific gravity bottle,” i.e., a flask made to
hold a known volume of liquid at a specified
temperature (usually 20°C). The bottle is weighed,
filled with the liquid whose specific gravity is to be
found, and weighed again. The difference in
weights is divided by the weight of an equal volume
of water to give the specific gravity of the liquid.
Specific gravity = Ws
Ww
Where Ws is the weight of the substance and Ww is
weight of an equal volume of water.
DENSITY vs. SPECIFIC GRAVITY
➢ The density has various units of measure, while
specific gravity has no dimension and is therefore a
constant value for each substance (when