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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: stopkillingme21 on January 16, 2017, 01:11:45 PM

Title: [Density] Which substance do my numbers most closely match?
Post by: stopkillingme21 on January 16, 2017, 01:11:45 PM

Using my graph of an unknown sample in g/mL, I came up with 2 numbers of 2.25 g/mL and 2.27 g/mL. Those fit most closely to PTFE (2.20 g/mL) and Silicon (2.32 g/mL).

Which would you say my unknown most likely is: PTFE or Silicon?

Title: Re: [Density] Which substance do my numbers most closely match?
Post by: Vidya on January 17, 2017, 12:58:12 AM

Information is not sufficient enough to give a clear picture.Can explain how you collected the data for the graph ?Then you need to see if the method adopted is more for positive error or negative error ...may be this will help us to predict which should be select. 

Title: Re: [Density] Which substance do my numbers most closely match?
Post by: Enthalpy on January 17, 2017, 05:56:47 AM

So many compounds exist that a density cannot suffice to determine one.

But some more information would help you. For instance the colour differs between Ptfe and silicon (but doesn't suffice neither to determine a substance!). The odour too if feasible. Mechanical properties, and so on.

But possibly the first question is: what kind of substance did you expect? If it results from a reaction you made, you can narrow down the reasonably expected compounds.