CHEM 1701 – Lab 2 – Density

Chemistry I for Pre-Health Sciences – Fall 2020

Adapted from: https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/liquid-density-project/

____/38 marks (6% of final grade)

Rationale
The purpose of this lab is to perform a variety of density calculations for objects of different mass and volume.

Learning objectives
The following learning objectives are covered in this lab.
 CLO 6: Prepare for and conduct laboratory experiments to investigate scientific questions using
appropriate techniques.
 LO 1.10: Given the density formula, perform calculations that relate density, mass and volume

Procedure & Observations

 Be sure to review the lab in its entirety before beginning.
 Throughout the lab you are required to photograph parts of your experiment and
include these photos in your final submission.

Handing in your lab

When complete, submit your work to the appropriate folder in DC Connect under Assignments.

Other notes
 A maximum 10% penalty may be applied for spelling, grammar and mechanics.
 There are quite a few density calculations in this lab. When rounding final answers, apply the rounding
rules as discussed in this course.
 Make sure all answers are in full sentences using appropriate scientific terminology.
 Note how many marks are associated with a question and use that as a guide when structuring your
response.

All materials needed throughout this lab:

 3 clear glass or plastic cups (~150 mL in size) labeled #1, #2, #3

 1 large clear glass or plastic container (~600 mL)
 150 mL (~1/2 cup) tap water
 150 mL (~1/2 cup) syrup of your choice (corn syrup, maple syrup etc.)
 150 mL (~1/2 cup) oil of your choice (vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil etc.)
 handful of raisins or craisins or any dried fruit pieces
 small household objects or foods (i.e. craisins, almonds, seeds, paperclips, coins, small corks, etc.)
 1 can of regular cola
 1 can of diet cola
 optional: food coloring
CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 1 of 10
Experiment 1 – Sink or Swim? [12 marks]
Discovery question: When will an object sink in a liquid and when will an object float? How can you use the
density of liquids and solids to help predict if an object will “sink or swim”?

Write down what you think will happen when you place an object in a liquid when the object is more dense than
the liquid. Write down what you think will happen when you place an object in a liquid when the object is less
dense than the liquid. This is called a hypothesis.

Hypothesis

Regarding my knowledge I can say that the object is going to sink because it is denser
than the liquid.

Materials
 3 clear glass or plastic cups (~150 mL in size) labeled #1, #2, #3
 150 mL tap water
 150 mL syrup of your choice (corn syrup, maple syrup etc.)
 150 mL oil of your choice (vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil etc.)
 handful of raisins or craisins
 small household objects or foods (i.e. beans, almonds, seeds, paperclips, coins, small corks, etc.)

Procedure & Observations

1. Pour 150 ml of tap water into cup labeled #1, 150 ml of your chosen syrup into cup labeled #2, and
150 ml of your chosen oil into cup labeled #3. Record the syrup and oil you’ve chosen in the space
below.

Type of syrup chosen Type of oil chosen

Caramel syrup Canola oil

2. [1 mark] Gently set a raisin on the top of the liquid in each cup. Photograph the cups with the raisin in it
and insert the image in the space below.

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 2 of 10

 3. [3 marks] How did the raisin behave in each liquid? Did the raisin sink or float? Record your
observations for each cup. Use 1-2 full sentences for each observation.

Cup #1 (water) Cup #2 (syrup) Cup #3 (oil)

Raisin only sank once introduced Raisin only floated once Raising only sank once introduced
into the water. introduced into the caramel syrup. into the canola oil.

4. Remove the raisin from each cup. Do not discard the liquids. Select two other objects such as a
paperclip or cork – whatever you have handy. Try to select two objects that are similar in size but
different in mass (i.e. one heavy, one lighter). Record your chosen objects below.

Object 1 Object 2

candy Coin

5. [1 mark] Repeat step 2 for each object (like you did for the raisin). Photograph your results and insert
the images below.

TIP: You can use the food colouring here if needed. It may help with your observations. Add
some to your liquids as needed so you can differentiate the liquid from the object.

Object 1 in tap water, syrup and oil Object 2 in tap water, syrup and oil

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 3 of 10

 6. [2 marks] Record your observations for each cup in the table below. Note 1-2 things for each liquid.

Your chosen Cup #1 observations Cup #2 observations Cup #3 observations

object (water) (syrup) (oil)
Object 1
The caramel syrup was The candy was denser
The candy was denser than denser than candy than oil because the
water because it sank because the candy did candy sank once
not sink introduced into the oil
Object 2
The coin was denser than The coin was denser The coin was denser
water because it sank as than syrup because it than oil because it sank
soon as it was introduced sank slowly. when it was introduced

Conclusions

1. [3 marks] Reflect on the outcomes of the objects in the 3 liquids. Did the raisins and other objects sink
and float when you expected them to? Did an object float in one liquid and sink in another? Why do you
think each object behaved the way it did?

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 4 of 10

 Everything was exactly as I expected. I believe that each behavior objects
were marked by their density.

2. [2 marks] The denser a liquid is, the easier it is for an object to float on it. If one of your objects floated
in the syrup but sank in the water, what does that tell you about the densities of water and syrup?

That’s mean that syrup is denser than water for far because caramel syrup has
glucose as its main compound.

DO NOT DISPOSE OF YOUR MATERIALS. YOU WILL

USE THE WATER, OIL AND SYRUP IN EXPERIMENT 2.

Experiment 2 – Mix It Up [4 marks]

Discovery question: From the liquids used in experiment 1, which liquid is the most dense? Which liquid is
the least dense? A density column is a tool chemists use to show the different densities of liquids. In this
experiment you will create your own density column. This video explains what a density column is and
demonstrates how to make one: https://youtu.be/KgZ7JtmOgHI

Materials

 3 containers with liquids in them from experiment 1

 1 large clear glass or plastic container (~600 mL)
o i.e. large mason jar, old pickle jar, old peanut butter jar
 optional: food coloring

Procedure & Observations

1. If you have it on hand, place a few drops of food coloring into the cup of water so you will be able to tell
it apart from the other liquids. (This is not necessary if the colours of your liquids are very different. The
goal is to make the color of each liquid stand out from the others).
2. Carefully pour each of the liquids from experiment 1, one at a time, into the clear 600 mL jar. Let the
liquids settle.
CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 5 of 10
 3. [1 mark] Take a picture of your density column and insert the image in the space below.

Conclusion

4. [2 marks] What happened? Did the three liquids mix together or separate into layers? Which liquid is at
the bottom of the jar? Which is at the top?

They were separate into layers in the next order, at the bottom is the syrup, at
the middle id the water and at the top is the oil.

5. [1 mark] Based on your observations, rank the liquids from most dense to least dense.

Most dense Mid-dense Least dense

Caramel syrup Water Canola oil

Experiment 3 – Cola Comparison [7 marks]

Discovery question: Two objects may have the same volume and look to be about the same size, but have
different densities. How can you calculate the density of common household objects?

Materials
 1 can of diet Cola
 1 can of regular Cola
 empty kitchen sink or bathroom sink

Procedure & Observations

1. [2 marks] Compare the look, mass and nutritional information for each can of cola. Record your
observations below. If you cannot locate the information, you can use this website and assume values

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 6 of 10

 for your cola would be in line with these: https://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/products/coca-
cola/original/12-oz/.

Volume Mass of sugar

Regular cola 355ml 65g

Diet cola 330ml 0g

2. [1 mark] Fill the sink halfway with water. Place the cans of cola in the water. Take a picture of your
experiment and insert the photo below.

Conclusion

1. [2 marks] What happened to each can of cola when you placed it in the sink? What does this tell you
about the density of each can?

That tells me that the regular coke is denser than sero coke because regular coke has
sugar and sero coke does not have sugar.

2. [2 marks] Explain what you think accounts for these observations. HINT: Refer to the total mass of
sugar you recorded in question 1.

A valid explanation for these observations is that sugar can determine the demsity of an
object.

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 7 of 10

Experiment 4 – Make Room! [9 marks]
Discovery question: Finding the volume of regular objects is easy because we usually have a formula to help
us, like l x w x h for a rectangular prism. Finding the volume of irregular objects is not easy because there is no
formula for that. Irregular objects are composed of several different shapes. Examples of regular objects and
irregular objects are below. So, what is the “work around” for finding the volume of irregular objects? A method
called water displacement is used. You can learn more about this method at the links below.

Regular objects Irregular objects

Volume can be found using a formula Volume cannot be found using a formula

Links to learn more about the water displacement method for finding volume:
 https://youtu.be/05WkCPORlj4
 https://youtu.be/Mbi10tpSiWU
 https://youtu.be/7JNjlcCP240

Materials
 measuring cup (must be able to hold a minimum of 4 cups of water)
 small object of known mass that will be completely submerged in the cup of water
 optional: If you have a kitchen scale, it would be useful here. If you do not, not a problem. Please don’t
go out and buy one.

Procedure & Observations

1. Record a brief description and mass of your object in the table below.
2. Obtain a measuring cup and fill it to the halfway mark with tap water. Note the volume in milliliters (mL).
Record this value in the table below. This is the initial volume (Vi).
3. Place your object in the measuring cup. The object needs to be completely submerged in the water.
Note the new volume in milliliters (mL). Record this value in the table below. This is the final volume
(Vf).
4. Calculate the difference in the initial and final volume. Show all work in the space provided. Record this
value in the table below. This is the volume of the object.

[5 marks]
CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 8 of 10
 Descriptio
Mass Initial volume (Vi) Final volume (Vf) Volume of object (Vf – V0)
n
It is a
Mexican coin
made of
4g 250ml 251ml 1 ml
copper,
nickel and
zinc

5. [1 mark] Take a picture of your experiment and insert the photo below.

Conclusions

6. [3 marks] Using the data you’ve collected in the table above, calculate the density of your object. Show
all work for full marks.

What we know
Mass=4g
Volume=1ml
d=m/v. 4g÷1ml= 4g/ml

Analysis [6 marks]

CHEM1701 – Lab 2 Page 9 of 10

 1. [3 marks] Glycerol is an important component of a type of molecule called triglycerides. If the density of
glycerol is 1.261 g/mL, what is the mass of 15.00 mL of glycerol? Show a full calculation for full marks.
Include all appropriate units.

What we know
D=1.261g/ml
V=15.00 ml. m= d•v m=(1.261g/ml) (15.00 ml)

m =18.915 g

2. [1 mark] How can water displacement be used to measure the volume of an object? Using your own
words, comment in 2-3 full sentences.

When filling a container with water, we already have an initial volume but when an

object is added to the water, the volume of the object is added to the water volume so

by subtracting the initial volume from the final volume, it is possible to know the

volume of the object through the displacement of the water.

3. [2 marks] Rebar is an irregularly shaped object. Use the data and image below to calculate the density
of the given piece of rebar. Show a full calculation for full marks. Include all appropriate units.

rebar
Mass=69.658 g
Volume=8.9ml. d=m/v. d=69.658g 8.9ml =7.8 g/ml
Density=7.8

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