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Tech Info Baume Scale PDF

The document discusses the Baumé scale, an antiquated method for measuring the specific gravity of chemicals. The Baumé scale assigns a number in degrees (°Bé) to indicate specific gravity. There are two formulas for converting °Bé to specific gravity depending on if the chemical is denser or less dense than water. Four examples are given converting common chemicals like sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide from °Bé to specific gravity to concentration percentage.

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YoshuaOndang
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257 views

Tech Info Baume Scale PDF

The document discusses the Baumé scale, an antiquated method for measuring the specific gravity of chemicals. The Baumé scale assigns a number in degrees (°Bé) to indicate specific gravity. There are two formulas for converting °Bé to specific gravity depending on if the chemical is denser or less dense than water. Four examples are given converting common chemicals like sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide from °Bé to specific gravity to concentration percentage.

Uploaded by

YoshuaOndang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Technical Information:

Date: March 2006


Subject: Water Treatment - Degree Baume Scale
Topic : The Term Degree Baume

Also referred to as Baumé °Bé, °B, degrees Baumé, Baume, Baumé scale.

Periodically we get calls with someone wanting to know what they should use with a
chemical and give reference to a Degree Baume. E.g. 66° Baume Sulphuric Acid ?
If asked most people would have no idea what this refers to.

What does °Baume mean with regards to chemical and concentration ?

The °Baume scale is an old antiquated method of measurement of a chemicals


Specific Gravity. It was devised a long time ago and is a scaling on a hydrometer
which measures the Specific Gravity of solutions.

To really make things confusing there are 2 ways of using this scale, one for liquids
that are more dense than water and one for liquids less dense than water.

Liquids with lower S.G. than water, S.G = 140 / (°Bé + 130 )

Liquids with higher S.G. than water S.G = 145 / (145 – °Bé )

So, if you have the °Baume of a known chemical, you could calculate the S.G. From
this you can compare the S.G. of the particular chemical and see what the actual %
concentration would be.

This does seem cumbersome and normally the charts of % concentration and S.G.
are not so readily available.

The following 4 examples are how this conversion would be done, first 3 are for some
typical chemicals used with a higher density than water and the fourth has a density
less than that of water.

1
Example 1

66 ° Bé Sulphuric Acid. H2SO4

SG = 145 / ( 145 – Bé ) = 145 / ( 145 – 66 ) = 145 / 79 = 1.835

If you look at the data of Sulphuric Acid you will see that a S.G. of 1.835 represents a
concentration of approx. 93%

Example 2

20° Bé Sodium Hydroxide NaOH

SG = 145 / ( 145 – Bé ) = 145 / ( 145 – 20 ) = 145 / 125 = 1.16

If you look at the data of Sodium Hydroxide you will see that a S.G of 1.16 represents
a concentration of approx. 15 %

Example 3

22° Bé Hydrochloric Acid HCl

SG = 145 / (145 – Bé ) = 145 / ( 145 – 22 ) = 145 / 123 = 1.1789

If you look at the data of Hydrochloric Acid you will see that a S.G. of 1.1789
represents a concentration of approx. 36%

Example 4

26 ° Bé Ammonium Hydroxide NH4OH

S.G. = 140 / (Bé + 130 ) = 140 / ( 26 + 130 ) = 140 / 156 = 0.897

If you look at the data of Ammonium Hydroxide you will see that a S.G of 0.897
represents a concentration of approx. 29%.

ProMinent Fluid Controls Ltd Telephone: (519) 836-5692


490 Southgate Drive Fax: (519) 836-5226
Guelph, Ontario E-Mail: [email protected]
N1G 4P5 http://www.prominent.ca

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