PHYSICAL PHARMACY LABORATORY EXPERIMENT NO.

9
SPECIFIC GRAVITY DETERMINATION OF LIQUIDS
Bernardino, Beatrice Trixie
Lasac, Marinol Anne
Obias, Krischel Hallie
Remo, Angelica
Yu, Almira Adrianne
2 PH A Group 2
I.Introduction
Specific gravity may be defined as the ratio of the mass of a substance to the mass of an equal
volume of another substance taken as the standard. For gases, the standard may be hydrogen or
air. For liquids and solids, it is water.
An important variable in specific gravity determinations is temperature, and this is doubly
important because both the temperature of the substance under examination and the temperature
of the standard may be different. The temperatures are commonly shown as a ratio, with the
temperature of the water always being indicated as the denominator. The common practice with
regard to the determination of specific gravity is that defined by the USP: “Unless otherwise
stated, the specific gravity basis is 25°/25° C, ie, the ratio of the weight of a substance in air at
25° C to that of an equal volume of water at the same temperature.”

II.Procedure
A.Specific gravity determination using Hydrometers
1.Clean and dry the Hydrometer before use.
2.Put approximate amount of liquid ( at least 50mL until the hydrometer is immersed) in a 100mL
cylinder
3.Immerse the hydrometer slowly in liquid to a point below which it naturally sinks.
4.Allow the hydrometer and liquid at rest and free from bubbles before reading.
5.Make sure that the temperature of hydrometer and of the liquid tested are the same.
6.Read the specific gravity of the sample liquid directly from the calibration of the instrument.
(hydrometer and graduated cylinder)

B.Specific gravity determination using Westphal Balance.

1.Balance the apparatus in an affirm level ground. Be sure that the leveling screw is just beneath
the arm that supports the plummet. Then make fine adjustment with the leveling screw and mass
–screw at the pointer until the pointer lines up with the register mark.
2.Fill the cylinder with distilled water. Adjust the height of the water and/ balance to completely
submerge the plummet. Place the largest rider on the hook where the plummet is attached.
Balance again the instrument adjusting the leveling screw. Mark the level of the water.Set the
riders on the beam until balance is restored. Read the specific gravity of the liquid.

C.Specific gravity determination using gravity bottle or pycnometer.

1.Wash and clean the pycnometer together with the cap and thermometer. Dry the pycnometer
and cap in the oven, In drying do not include the thermometer.
2.Allow to cool in a dessicator, and then weigh your empty pycnometer with cap and thermometer
on analytical balance.
3.Fill the bottle with the sample liquid and fit the thermometer and cap back to the pycnometer,
prevent bubbles to appear in the sample.
4.Allow the pycnometer with its content to reach 250C, and weigh by immersing in the sample.
 5.Remove the contents of the bottle and wash with water. Dry in the oven and cool in the
dessicator
6.Fill the bottle with distilled water and follow the same procedure observed when sample liquid is
used.
7.Calculate the specific gravity of the sample liquid using the formula: Sp. Gr= Weight of the
sample/weight of distilled water

I. Results
A. Specific gravity liquids using Hydrometers

Sample Mineral Oil Peppermint Ethyl Alcohol Syrup

liquids Oil

Specific Gravity 0.82 0.901 0.699 1.43

True Value:0.76 to True Value:​0.907  True Value:​0.787 True Value: ​1.1 to

0.87 to 0.918 1.5

B.Specific gravity of liquids using Westphal balance

Sample Liquids Water Ethyl Alcohol Peppermint Oil

Specific Gravity 0.99 0.78 0.90

True value: 0.95 to 1.00 True value: 0.71 to 0.81 True value: 0.89 to 0.95

Water: Ethyl Alcohol:

Peppermint Oil:

C.​ ​Specific gravity of the sample liquids using specific gravity bottle method

Data Distilled Water Ethyl Alcohol Syrup

Wt of empty 16.7 g 16.7 g 16.7 g

pycnometer

Wt of pycnometer 47.3 g 41.7 g 107.16 g

with liquid

Wt of pycnometer with 47.3 g 47.3 g 47.3 g

distilled water

Wt of sample 47.3 g 25.0 g 90.46 g

liquid*

Wt of distilled 30.6 g 30.6 g 30.6 g

water

Specific gravity of 1.00 0.82 2.96

liquid

COMPUTATION:
General Formula

Specific Gravity = weight of substance / weight of equal volume of water

1. Distilled Water
Given:
Wt of empty pycnometer: 16.7 g
Wt of pycnometer with liquid: 47.3 g
Wt of pycnometer with distilled water: 47.3 g
Wt of sample liquid: 30.6 g
Wt of distilled water: 30.6 g
 Formula: ​Specific Gravity = weight of substance / weight of equal volume of water
Specific gravity of liquid =?
Solution:
Pycnometer with Distilled water = 47.3 g
Weight of sample liquid = 30.6 g
Weight of distilled water = 30.6 g

Specific gravity = 30.6 g / 30.6 g

=1
2. Ethyl Alcohol
Given:
Wt of empty pycnometer: 16.7 g
Wt of pycnometer with liquid: 41.7 g
Wt of pycnometer with distilled water: 47.3 g
Wt of sample liquid: 25 g
Wt of distilled water: 30.6 g
Formula: ​Specific Gravity = weight of substance / weight of equal volume of water
Specific gravity of liquid =?
Solution:
Pycnometer with liquid = 41.7
Weight of sample liquid = 25 g
Weight of distilled water = 30.6 g

Specific gravity = 25 g / 30.6 g

= 0.816 or 0.82

3. Syrup
Given:
Wt of empty pycnometer: 16.7 g
Wt of pycnometer with liquid: 107.16 g
Wt of pycnometer with distilled water: 47.3 g
Wt of sample liquid: 90.46 g
Wt of distilled water: 30.6 g
Formula: ​Specific Gravity = weight of substance / weight of equal volume of water
Specific gravity of liquid =?
Solution:
Pycnometer with liquid = 107.16 g
Weight of sample liquid = 90.46 g
Weight of distilled water = 30.6 g

Specific gravity = 90.46 g / 30.6 g

= 2.956 or 2.96
II. Questions

1. In what way is specific gravity used in pharmacy?

➢ Specific gravity is in automated pharmaceutical equipment used by pharmacists to prepare total

parenteral nutrition (TPN) admixtures. ¡ The purpose of the specific gravity of the large-volume
liquids being mixed is to determine the weights of components (e.g., dextrose, amino acids, and
water).

2. What are the different methods in determining specific gravity of liquids?

➢ Two methods are commonly used for determining the specific gravities of liquids. One method
uses the ​hydrometer​, an instrument that gives a specific gravity reading directly. 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. For
gases a method essentially the same as the bottle method for liquids is used. Specific gravities of
gases are usually converted mathematically to their value at standard temperature and pressure
3. Differentiate baume light and baume heavy hydrometers?

➢ In hydrometer. The Baumé hydrometer, named for the French chemist Antoine Baumé, is calibrated to
measure specific gravity on evenly spaced scales; one scale is for liquids heavier than water, and the other
is for liquids lighter than water.

Hydrometers can be divided into two general classes: liquids heavier than water and liquids lighter than
water. In the standard hydrometer scale, known as the specific gravity scale, distilled water equals 1.000,
the initial point of measurement. Liquids lighter than water are scaled below 1.000 specific gravity, and
liquids heavier than water are scaled above 1.000 specific gravity.

4.Give example of liquids lighter than water and examples of liquids heavier than
water. Give their specific gravity and their uses as specified in the Remington:
The Science and Practice of Pharmacy.
➢ Some example of ​liquids that are lighter than water are​:

Castor oil sp.g 0.95 to 0.96, pharmaceutical manufacturers have also used castor oil as a mix-in to
deliver medications. It is often added to the cancer treatments paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Mineral oil sp.g 0.92, eases intestinal issues to gently relieve occasional constipation.

Alcohol (methyl) sp.g 0.79, ​It is used as a solvent in the manufacture of cholesterol, streptomycin,
vitamins, hormones, and other pharmaceuticals.
 Acetone sp.g 0.792, ​used in producing pills and liquid medicines to have proper density. It is
mandatory for the efficacy of the medicine. It is also used as an antiseptic.

➢ Some example of​ liquid heavier than water​:

Glycerin sp.g 1.26,​used as a sweetener in syrups, lozenges, and as an excipient in eyewash
solutions. It may also be found in eardrop products, jellies and creams for topical use, in
expectorants for congestion, suppositories, and gel capsules.

Milk sp.g 1.02 to 1.05, Milk sugar lactose,​It is a disaccharide composed of one galactose and
one glucose molecule. In the pharmaceutical industry, lactose is used to help form tablets
because it has excellent compressibility properties. It is also used to form a diluent powder
for dry-powder inhalations.

Saltwater sp.g 1.02, ​widely used as a raw material, ingredient, and solvent in the processing,
formulation, and manufacture of pharmaceutical products, active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs) and intermediates, and analytical reagents.

Molasses sp.g 1.40 to 1.49, ​Sucrose, a key component of molasses, is used in food industry as
liquid sugar; some special sugars are used in pharmaceuticals and the cosmetic industry.

5.What temperature is recommended to perform the specific gravity determination

of liquids?
➢ The temperature used for measurement is usually 39.2​o​F (4​o​C), because this
temperature allows water to assume its maximum density.
6.Differentiate precision from accuracy.
➢ ACCURACY- In usual practice an accurate result is the one which matches very
nearly with true value of a measured amount. The comparison is normally done with
regard to the ‘​error’​ ; and the accuracy is inversely proportional to it ​i.e.,​ the greater
the accuracy, the smaller is the error. ‘​Absolute error’​ is the difference between the
experimental value​ and the ​true value​.
➢ PRECISION- It may be defined as—‘​the agreement amongst a cluster of
experimental results ; however, it does not ​imply anything with respect to their
relation to the ‘true value’​ ’. Precision designates ‘reproducibility’ of a m
​ easurement,
whereas accuracy is the correctness of a measurement. Precision invariably forms
an integral part of accuracy, but ironically a high degree of precision may not
necessarily suggest accuracy.
7.Differentiate determinate error from indeterminate error.
➢ DETERMINATE ERROR- ​These are errors that possess a definite value together with a
reasonable assignable cause; however, in principle these avoidable errors may be measured and
accounted for conveniently.
➢ INDETERMINATE ERROR- As the name suggests, indeterminate errors cannot be pin-pointed to
any specific well-defined reasons. They are usually manifested due to the minute variations which
take place inadvertently in several successive measurements performed by the same analyst,
using utmost care, under almost identical experimental parameters. These errors are mostly
random in nature and ultimately give rise to high as well as low results with equal probability.
They can neither be corrected nor eliminated, and therefore, form the ‘ultimate limitation’ on the
specific measurements. It has been observed that by performing repeated measurement of the
same variable, the subsequent statistical treatment of the results would have a positive impact of
‘reducing their importance’ to a considerable extent.
 8. What is an alcoholometric table? What is its relation to specific gravity? Explain
how to use it.
➢ Alcoholometric table provides persons using pycnometers or digital density meters
an accurate and simple correlation between the density-in-air of a water-ethanol
mixture at 20 C to its corresponding strength expressed in percentage by volume at
20 C, and in percentage by mass

Ethanol content of alcoholic liquids and their preparations may be assayed on the basis of
density, refractive index, oxidation, gas chromatography, etc. by immersion of the centesimal hydrometer
into the alcoholic liquid contained in a glass cylinder, the observed degree at the prevailing temperature is
obtained and by referring to the alcoholometric table, the percentage by volume of ethanol at 20 deg C is
obtained in the alcoholic liquid at t deg C (alcohol richness 20/t deg) or at 20 deg C (real strength 20
deg/20 deg) as may be required. A sufficient volume of the alcoholic liquid is necessary for the use of
hydrometer.

It saves the user small calculations on concentrations (in weight %) of Ethanol-Water Mixture vs
Specific Gravity at various temperatures. For example, an alcoholometric table shows the percentage of
alcohol by weight and by volume, and the percentage of fiscal proof spirit, in aqueous solutions of ethyl
alcohol of different specific gravities.

Below is an example of an alcoholometric table that has varied temperatures per weight percent
of ethanol with specific gravity. This is an easy table to look for as a reference in laboratory procedures.
REFERENCES:

Website/Online:

http://www.brainkart.com/article/Classification-of-Errors-in-Pharmaceutical-Analysis_30814/

https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/physics/concepts/specific-gravity/methods-of-determi
ning-specific-gravity#:~:text=One%20method%20uses%20the%20hydrometer,(usually%2020%C2%B0
C)​.

​http://www.uobabylon.edu.iq/eprints/publication_3_30847_6264.pdf

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=6s&v=StGbFkSevy0

Alcoholometric Tables . Nature 96, 201–202 (1915). ​https://doi.org/10.1038/096201b0

Bureau of Indian Standards. IS 3506 (1989) tables for alcoholometry (pyknometer method)
[PCD 9: Organic Chemicals Alcohols and Allied Products and Dye Intermediates]