DETERMINING THE COMPOSITION OF BRASS

Introduction
In this experiment, you will measure the mass and volume of different
materials. You also will use the relationship between the mass and volume of
a substance to find its density.
Measuring Volume
Volumes of regularly shaped geometric solids can be calculated from direct
measurements of their dimensions. For example, the volume of a rectangular
solid is calculated by multiplying its length, width, and height (V = l x w x h).
The volume of a cylinder can be calculated by multiplying the area of the base
of the cylinder ( r2 where is a constant and r is the radius) times the height
(V= r2h). Volumes of solids are usually expressed in cubic centimeters (cm3),
and 1.00 cm3 equals 1.00 mL. These types of direct methods are commonly
employed in labs.
Density
Density is an important physical property of matter that can be used to help
identify a substance. We know about density from our everyday lives. For
example: When you look at salad dressing made from oil and vinegar you
see two different layers each has a different density. The lighter, less dense
oil is at the top and the water-based vinegar is at the bottom. Density is
defined as the amount of matter (mass, usually in grams) contained in a
given unit of volume (usually mL or cm3). This relationship can be
expressed mathematically.
Density

Mass
Volume

Therefore, the units for density are g/mL or g/cm3. In this experiment you
will measure the masses of samples of two different metals and use the
direct method to measure their volumes. From these data you can determine
the density for each of these substances.

A. Determining the Density of a Metal

1. From the side bench, obtain a set of one of the following metals:
aluminum, zinc, copper, or lead.
2. Measure the dimensions of the samples of your metal to the nearest
hundredth of a millimeter (0.01 mm) using a vernier caliper (see
Appendix A). Record the data in a simple data table in your laboratory
notebook.
3. Calculate the volume of each sample, and add these values to your data
table. The calculations should be recorded as well.
4. Measure and record the mass of each metal sample to the nearest one
hundredth of a gram (0.01g).
5. Calculate the density of each of the metal samples, the average density,
and the standard deviation (see Appendix B) for the data set.
B. Determining the Density by Graphical Methods
1.

2.
3.

Using the mass and volume data obtained in Procedure A, make a

graphical plot using the spreadsheet program EXCEL (see Appendix C).
Your graph should have mass on the y-axis and volume on the x-axis
for the metal samples. You may include the point (0,0) in the data set.
Using the Trendline option, determine the best fit of the data to a linear
function (y = mx + b). Both the equation of the best linear fit and the fit
parameter R2 should be included on your graph.
From the equation of best fit, determine the value of the density, which
is the slope of the line m.

C. Determining the Composition of Brass

An alloy is a solid solution of two or more metals. One of the most common
such substances is brass which is a mixture of copper and zinc. By
determining the density of brass, it is possible to deduce the relative amounts
of copper and zinc in brass.]
1.
2.
3.

Obtain a set of brass solids.

Measure and record the dimensions of each sample to the nearest
hundredth of a millimeter (0.01 mm) and calculate its volume.
Measure and record the mass of the bar to the nearest one hundredth of
a gram (0.01g).
2

4.

Make a graphical plot of mass (y) versus volume (x) for the brass
samples. You may include the point (0,0) in the data set.
5. Find the accepted value for the density of copper and zinc and record
these in the data table provided.
6. Using the density you obtained for brass, determine the % composition
of copper and zinc in your sample of brass.

Appendix A. Using a Vernier Caliper

1. Depress the on/off button.
2. Place the metal between the handles. Note that there is a notch close to the
ruler do not place the metal there because you will get an incorrect
measurement.
3. Record the measurement in your data table.

Notch to AVOID
Correct Placement

Appendix B. Calculating a Standard Deviation

Scientists use statistical analyses to interpret numerical data. Usually, the
data points from a given experiment are close to the average. The standard
deviation is a statistic that tells you how tightly all the various data points
fall around the average in a set of data. The formula for calculating the
standard deviation is

where s is the standard deviation, n is the number of data points gathered, xi

is one data points value, and is the average of the data points.

Appendix C. Graphing with Excel

1. Open Excel and obtain a blank worksheet.
2. Type your data in two adjacent columns with the values for the x axis in
the left column and the values for the y axis in the right column.
3. Select the data in the two columns by dragging the cursor over the area in
the two columns that contains data.
4. Select Insert and click on the Scatter icon with no lines (you are going to do
a data fit).
5. Select Layout under Chart Tools option. Note that there is a Trendline
choice. Select this and go down to More Trendline Options. In this,
click on Linear Fit, Display Equation and Display R2.
6. Back in Layout, click on Chart Title. A window will appear in which you can
type the title for your graph. The x axis and the y axis should be labeled in the
same manner.
7. Gridlines may also be added or deleted (for the first experiment, delete
them), and the axis characteristics may be edited under the Current
Selection option.
8. If your graph is acceptable, highlight it and select Print from the File
menu to get a hardcopy.

Name _____________________

Pledged _________________

CHEM 120 LABORATORY -- DETERMINING THE

COMPOSITION OF BRASS
I. DATA COLLECTION
Metal ___________
Sample

diameter
(mm)

Accepted Value of Density __________

length
(mm)

width
(mm)

height
(mm)

volume
(cm3)

mass
(grams)

1.
2.
3.
4.
6

Calculations:

II. DATA ANALYSIS

Sample

1.

2.

3.

4.

Average

Density (g/cm3)
Deviation (xi -

Standard Deviation

III. DATA ANALYSIS Graphical method

Equation of Best Fit

R2

Density (g/cm3)
7

Attach your graph to the data sheet.

IV. DATA ANALYSIS COMPARISON TO THE ACCEPTED VALUE

Density
Literature Value
% error

Density calculated
average

Density graphical

NA

Calculations:

V. DATA COLLECTION -- BRASS

Sample

length
(mm)

width
(mm)

height
(mm)

volume
(cm3)

mass
(grams)

1.
2.
3.
Calculations:

VI. DATA ANALYSIS Graphical

Equation of Best Fit

R2

Density (g/cm3)

VII. The composition of Brass

Density
Literature value

Percent
composition

Copper
Zinc
Calculated Density for Brass__________________
9

Calculations:

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