Formal Report

Experiment No. 2

Liquid Density
Domingo, A.J.A.1
1Chemistry Department, College of Science, Adamson University, Ermita, Manila 1000 Philippines

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: The determination of the liquid density of a substance is done

Date Performed July 29, 2016 through plenty of methods but in this experiment two apparatus were
Date Submitted August 5, 2016 used: pycnometer and Westphal balance. Pycnometer is a device that can
be used with a reference liquid with a well-known density to measure the
unknown liquids density while Westphal balance is an apparatus that uses
the Archimedes’ Principle in obtaining the specific gravity of an unknown
Keywords: liquid. The liquid that was used in this experiment was isopropyl alcohol
Pycnometer with different concentrations. It is determined that the relationship of the
Liquid density concentration of the alcohol to the density of the solution where as it
Westphal balance
increases the density of the solution decreases. This is because the density
of the water is greater than the density of the alcohol.

1.0 Introduction

of an unknown substance. Mathematically is

The most common definition of
it calculated using this formula:
density is it is the mass of the substance per
unit volume. It is also known as the 𝑚
volumetric mass density, its more precise 𝜌= (Atkins & De Paula, 2014)
𝑣
term. Density is a basic physical property of
a homogenous substance, an intensive where:
property (Los Angeles City College, 2005). ρ is the density
m is the mass of the substance
Different materials usually have v is the volume of the substance
different densities. Determining the density
of the substance is significant on the There are different methods that can
determination of the purity and the identity be used to determine the volumetric mass
density of a substance. In this experiment
two methods will be used: determining
liquid density using pycnometer and using
the westphal balance.
The pycnometer or the specific
gravity bottle is a glass flask with a close
fitting ground glass stopper with a capillary
hole through it. It uses a working liquid with
well-known density, such as water as a
reference to measure the liquid density.
The principle of the Westphal
balance is based on the known buoyancy of
the reference glass body. It uses the
Archimedes’ Principle which states that the
upward buoyant force that is exerted on an
object immersed in a fluid, whether fully or
partially submerged, is equal to the weight
of the fluid that the body displaces. (The
Editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica,
2016)
2.0 Methodology
2.1 Sample Preparation
Boil distilled water in a 600 ml
beaker for 10 minutes. Remove from the
beaker heat and cool to room
temperature. Cover the beaker with
watch glass to minimize gas transfer.
After obtaining the assigned liquid,
isopropyl alcohol, from the laboratory
instructor; masses of 53.0267-g,
77.0246-g, 91.0051-g and 100.0310-g of
the assigned liquid was mixed with the
pre-boiled water in five separate 125-ml
Erlenmeyer flasks to get the mole
fractions of 0.00 (pre-boiled distilled
water), 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0. The
flasks were labeled A to E respective to
the mole fractions.
2.2 Density Measurement
2.2.1 Using pycnometer
Clean the pycnometer using
small amount of acetone and wait for
it to dry then weigh. Fill the
pycnometer with the liquid sample
making sure that there is no
entrapped air bubbles inside. Put in a
water bath until thermal equilibrium
is attained. Dry the pycnometer with
tissue and then weigh. Record the
temperature. At the succeeding
liquid samples maintain the
temperature within ±1 of the first
temperature reading.
Return the liquid sample to
its labeled container. Rinse the
pycnometer once with the liquid
sample whose density you are going
to determine next. Discard the liquid
used in the washings.
2.2.2 Using Westphal balance
Set-up and calibrate the westphal
balance. Immerse the glass plummet
completely in the liquid sample
while making sure it doesn’t touch
the side of the cylindrical container.
Record the temperature and maintain
it within ±1 of the reading.
Level the beam by adding
and adjusting the rider moments on
 the beam. Start with the larger ones Table 1. Measurements using Pycnometer
going to the smallest rider then Sampl
Empty
Pycno
Pycno
meter + Liquid Liquid
Densit
y of Temp
record the density. Return the liquid e meter
(g)
Liquid
(g)
(g) (mL) Liquid
(g/mL)
(ºC)

sample to its labeled container. Rinse A 33.17 59.76 29.59 29.69

0.996
27
5
the cylindrical container with the 0.806
B 33.17 57.12 23.95 29.69 27
7
liquid sample whose density you are 0.758
C 33. 17 55.68 22.51 29.69 27
going to determine next. Discard the 2
0.726
liquid used in the washings. D 33. 17 54.75 21.58 29.69 27
8
0.707
E 33. 17 54.16 20.99 29.69 27
0

3.0 Results and Discussion

Because of the expansion of liquid when
the temperature increases, the temperature
must be kept constant so that the
measurement of the density will be accurate
(Atkins & De Paula, 2014).
The density of the liquid samples A to E
that are obtained using pycnometer were
gathered and can be seen in Table 1. The
results of the experiment show the relative
densities of five liquid samples with
different mass of the assigned liquid,
isopropyl alcohol, at constant volume.
As the volume remained constant
throughout the process, the mass of the
isopropyl was increased. This means that the
concentration of alcohol in the solution
increased and the amount of water is
decreasing. The results show that increase in
the concentration of solute in the solution
produced a decrease in the density
(J.Gallová, n.d.).
In the second part of the experiment,
determination of the liquid density using
westphal balance the data is showed in
Table 2. The Westphal balance has an arm
equipped with a glass plummet of known
volume and mass. This arm is immersed in
the liquid sample and the beam is rebalanced
using a series of rider moments on the
notches on the beam. This gives the buoyant
force of the liquid relative to water, and
hence the specific gravity, which may be
obtained to four decimal places (Westphal
Balance, 2016). The Archimedes’ principle
was used in this set-up since a solid object,
the glass plummet, is needed to be
submerged in the alcohol solution (The
Editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica,
2016).
Table 2. Measurements using
Westphal balance
Specific Gravity Temperature
Sample
(g/L) (ºC)
A 1.0000 25.0
B 0.9400 25.0
C 0.8769 28.0
D 0.8500 28.0
E 0.8400 24.0
 The result of this second part of the thus producing such errors. Another source
experiment shows that as the mole fraction might be the temperature not being constant
of the liquid sample increase the specific and this can also affect the density of the
decreases indicating that the density of the liquid samples. Last source of error is the
liquid sample is lesser compared to water. limitation of the density measuring
The data gathered are moderately precise apparatus that were used.
but not accurate because calculating their
relative error percentages, using the 4.0 Conclusion
pycnometer attained a -9.31% while using
Westphal balance had 7.76%. The Based on the results and discussion we
temperature used in the experiment was 25- can conclude that the easiest way to
determine the density of a substance is to
28°C and the expected density of the
determine its specific gravity. Additionally,
isopropyl alcohol at this temperature range the results shows the relationship of the
is shown in Table 3. concentration of the alcohol to the density of
the solution where as it increases the density
Table 3. Percentage error of the Measured of the solution decreases. This is because the
Density of isopropyl alcohol density of the water is greater than the
Measured Density density of the alcohol.
Expected %Errror
Temp (g/mL)
Density
(°C)
(g/mL) A* B** A1 B2
References:
25 0.7808^ -9.452 7.582
26 0.7800^ -9.359 7.692
0.7070 0.8400 Atkins, P., & De Paula, J. (2014). Atkin's
27 0.7791^ -9.254 7.817
Physical Chemistry. United
28 0.7783^ -9.161 7.928
Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Ave. -9.307 7.755
^ (Measurement Canada: Volume correction J.Gallová, C. (w.p.). Density Detemination
factors—isopropyl alcohol (anhydrous), by Pycnometer. Manual.
2016)
*density measured using pycnometer Los Angeles City College. (2005).
**density measured using Westphal balance Chemistry. Los Angeles.
1- percentage error of pycnometer
Measurement Canada: Volume correction
2- percentage error of Westphal balance factors—isopropyl alcohol
(anhydrous). (August 6, 2016).
These errors can come from the Muling kumuha mula sa Innovation,
apparatus not calibrated properly and bias in Science and Economic Development
reading the measurements. The Canada:
concentrations of the prepared liquid https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/mc-
mc.nsf/eng/lm00131.html
samples might not be accurate due to limited
graduation on the beakers used when The Editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica.
preparing the solutions affecting the (January 8, 2016). Archimedes'
volumes of the solutions and their densities Principle. Encyclopædia Britannica.
The Editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica.
(April 21, 2016). Density.
Encyclopædia Britannica, ph. 8th
Edition.
Westphal Balance. (August 6, 2016). Muling
kumuha mula sa Kenyon College:
http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyAppa
ratus/Fluids/Westphal_Balance/West
phal_Balance.html