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Specific Gravity

This document discusses specific gravity, which is the ratio of a mineral's weight to the weight of an equal volume of water. Specific gravity can be used to determine other properties and is measured using a Jolly balance or heavy liquids. It depends on a mineral's chemical composition and atomic structure. Minerals with heavier elements or closer atomic packing have higher specific gravities. Specific gravity can provide information about a mineral's identity or help identify unknown minerals.

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Selin Pedrosa
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302 views

Specific Gravity

This document discusses specific gravity, which is the ratio of a mineral's weight to the weight of an equal volume of water. Specific gravity can be used to determine other properties and is measured using a Jolly balance or heavy liquids. It depends on a mineral's chemical composition and atomic structure. Minerals with heavier elements or closer atomic packing have higher specific gravities. Specific gravity can provide information about a mineral's identity or help identify unknown minerals.

Uploaded by

Selin Pedrosa
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Homework #2, Geoe-213

Selin Köroğlu, id: 1553205


Geoe Department, METU

Specific Gravity
Specific gravity or relative density is the one of the determining physical properties of the
minerals. A mineral’s specific gravity is the ratio of its weight to the equal volume of pure water
at 4°C.

It can be formulized by: whereas and G is the


specific gravity.
G is a ratio of densities so the number has no units. The density of pure water at 4°C is

about 1.0 ,the values for specific gravity and density will be nearly same if

is used for density. The utilization of the G is very functional as no harm can be
done while the measurements hence specimens of the mineral will be preserved.

Relation between Specific Gravity and other physical and chemical properties:

The specific gravity of a mineral depends on:


a) Its chemical composition

b) The arrangements of atoms in its structure.

 In minerals with the same atomic arrangements, the mineral that possessed of higher atomic
weight numbered elements will usually have higher density and specific gravity.(Fig:1.1)

Mineral Composition Atomic Weight of Cation Specific Gravity


Aragonite CaCO3 40.08 2.94
Strontianite SrCO3 87.62 3.78
Witherite BaCO3 137.34 4.31
Cerussite PbCO3 207.19 6.58
(Source: Klein, C., Dutrow, B., (2008), pp32)

Table 1.1.: Specific gravity increase with increasing atomic weight of cation in orthorhombic
carbonates

1
 The more tightly packed atoms, the higher the density and specific gravity.
Among the minerals having the same chemical formula but different structures namely
polymorphs, have denser packing if they were formed at higher pressures. Diamond (formed at
high pressure, S.G.:3.5) and graphite (low pressure, S.G.: 2.23) both composed with Carbon, can
be given as examples.

 Minerals with non-metallic luster have average SG between 2.6-3.0, (Qua=2.65,


Cal=2.72, Feld’s=2.60-2.75).
 Hydrated and soft minerals have SG<2.6.
 Hard minerals with heavy elements (Sr, Ba, Fe, W, Cu, Ag, Pb, Hg) have SG>3 .5
 Minerals with metallic luster have SG>=5 (Pyt=5, Gal=7.5, Mat=5.18)
 In solid solution series, there is a continuous change in SG with change in chemical composition.
(Eg., Fos=3.3  Fay=4.4)
 In polymorphous compounds those with closest atomic packing have higher SG. (eg. Gra=2.23
 Dia=3.5)
(Lecture notes)

Average Specific Gravity: It is possible to get a general idea about minerals’ specific gravity
by comparing their weights by hefting. The most common and abundant nonmetallic minerals,
such as quartz, feldspar and calcite, have specific gravity between 2.65 and 2.5; hence this
interval is approved as average specific gravity. (Klein, C., Dutrow, B., (2008, pp: 33)). By
hefting these minerals that have average specific gravity with a mineral having unknown S.G, we
can get a general idea.

Detection of Specific Gravity: In order to have accurate measurement of specific gravity,


the mineral should be pure, homogenous and compact with no cracks or cavities within which
bubbles or films of air could be trapped.( Klein,C.,Dutrow,B.,(2008),pp33) . First of all, the
mineral weighted in air, and then it is weighted once more after putting it into the water. By
doing so, the weight will be lesser because of water. So the difference between weight of the
mineral in the air and the weight of the water will be equal to the apparent loss of weight in
water or the equal volume of water. So it can be formulized by:
G=Wa / (Wa-Ww)

G: Specific Gravity

Wa: The weight of the mineral in air.

Ww: The weight of the mineral in the water.

There are two methods are used for determination of Specific Gravity:

1.Jolly Balance(Hydrostatic weighing)

2.Heavy liquids

Jolly Balance: Invented by the 19th-century German physicist Philipp von Jolly, it consists in its
usual form of a long, delicate, helical spring suspended by one end in front of a graduated scale.
To the lower end of the spring is attached a weight pan and below that a small wire basket for
samples. The difference in extension of the spring when the sample is suspended in air and in

2
water represents the loss of weight in water; the weight in air divided by the loss of weight in
water gives the specific gravity. The specific gravity of a liquid can be obtained by suspending
any convenient specimen of a solid first in water and then in the liquid undergoing the test; the
ratio of loss of weight of the solid in water and in the test liquid gives the specific gravity of the
liquid.( Encyclopædia Britannica,2010)

Usage of Heavy liquids: Heavy liquids use the bouyancy principle that says a solid will sink in a
liquid whose SG is lower, float in one whose SG is higher, and remain suspended in a liquid
whose SG is equal to its own.

Sets of heavy liquids with known SGs are used to determine (within a range) the SG of unknown
gems. Besides being imprecise, this method uses smelly and potentially hazardous chemicals and
can damage porous gems. (Heath,T.(1897)

References:

 Klein,C.,Dutrow,B.,(2008),Mineral Science, Wiley books,USA

 Jolly balance. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from
Encyclopædia Britannica Online:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/305769/Jolly-balance

 Heath, Thomas Little, Sir, The works of Archimedes (1897) Cambridge University Press,
London

 Lecture notes: http://www.metu.edu.tr/~lunel/

 Roberts, K. F. (1998). Federal regulations of chemicals in the


environment [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/40hrenv/index.html

 Wicander, R., Monroe, J., Essentials of Physical Geology, (2009), Pearson Education,
Canada.

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