1A. CHECK-IN EXPERIMENT: WHAT IS THE DENSITY OF AN EGG?

JHU INTRO. CHEM. LAB

FALL 2015

CHECK-IN
Students must dress appropriately for check-in. Wear
shoes with closed toes and closed tops. Bring your safety
goggles. Also bring your lab notebook and a calculator.
The TAs will help you find an open space in the room.
Use the list of what your lab drawer should contain to check
that you have the required equipment. If anything is
missing, today is the only day you can get it without having
it charged to your student account. Your TA will explain
how to get any missing equipment.
Your lab partner will be the person with a drawer in
the same hood area. Your TA will help you find a lab
partner, if necessary.
After you have completed the check-in procedure for
your desk drawer you will be able to start the experiment.

WHAT IS THE DENSITY OF AN EGG?

How would you measure the density of an egg? One
way is to determine its mass and volume. This works well
for regular objects such as cubes. Calculating the volume
of an egg is more complicated. Archimedes came up with
a way to determine the volume of irregular objects by using
water displacement. There is a third method, which you
will use in this experiment.1 You will determine the density
of a solution in which the object floats just below the
surface. If it sits at the bottom, the density of the object is
higher than the density of the solution. If it floats on top of
the solution, the density of the object is lower than the
density of the solution. This third method is derived from a
more recent story from history the process of making
soap. Soap is made from a mixture of lye and fats. Before
the advent of chemical companies, the lye came from rain
water poured through ashes. The lye solution was deemed
to be at the correct concentration for soap-making when it
was just able to float an egg. In this lab, instead of using
lye, you will make a salt-water solution using sodium
chloride (NaCl) since you are not trying to make soap and
salt is safer to use than lye. You will be measuring the
density of the salt solution AFTER it is made, not as you
are making it.
Objectives
The goal of this experiment is you to determine the
density of an egg. You will need to develop many of your
own procedures for this as a way to give you practice in
using common laboratory glassware. By the end of the lab,
you should be able to recognize the difference between
glassware that is calibrated to deliver and to contain.
You will also be able to record volume data to the correct
number of significant digits and determine what

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uncertainty that causes in laboratory measurements. You

will be able to use the concept of the least significant digit
and how that affects uncertainty. This will help you
understand what equipment is best to use when you need
to measure accurately. In addition, you will have an
opportunity to develop appropriate laboratory note-taking
skills.
You will complete an in-class worksheet as you
perform the experiment. It will focus your attention on
what you are expected to learn from each part of the
experiment. You must fill it out as you complete the
experiment, not at the end of the lab period.
Volume measurements
One of the challenges in introductory chemistry
labs is to know what equipment is best for accurate volume
measurements as well as how to report data correctly. We
use a variety of graduated and volumetric glassware in this
course. This includes volumetric pipettes, volumetric
flasks, and graduated cylinders. The accuracy of the
volumetric glassware is listed in Section III in your manual.
Because some of the glassware may be slightly different
due to different years of purchase, the table includes the
accuracy you should use for the purposes of this course.
For later assignments that are computer graded, you will be
expected to use these numbers of significant digits to get
full credit.
The last digit you record is the least significant digit,
because it has uncertainty. If you use a 100-ml volumetric
flask, for example, you record it as 100.0 ml, as shown in
the table. That indicates that there is some uncertainty in
the tenths place. If you simply write it as 100 ml, a reader
(and grader) would assume that you had measured it to only
1 significant digit, which would limit the accuracy of all
calculations that use that value.
For equipment with gradations, such as the graduated
cylinder, use the 10% rule. This means that you can
measure the volume to one more decimal place than the
gradations. So, for example, if the gradations on glassware
are 0.1 ml apart, you will be able to read the glassware to
the nearest hundredth place. This last digit is an estimate,
so it becomes the least significant digit. As with the
volumetric equipment, the last digit reported should always
be the least significant digit.
A liquid in a glass container has a curved upper
surface, called a meniscus. For most liquids including
water, the surface is concave. This is due to the polar nature
of water and glass and the resulting surface tension.
Volume measurements are always made to the bottom of
the meniscus, as shown below.

meniscus
2.70 ml

3
2

Notice that for the graduated cylinder shown in the figure,

the lines are 0.2 ml apart, so the value can be read to one
more decimal place, which is the hundredths place. A
different observer might read the same volume as 2.68 ml,
for example. This puts the uncertainty in the hundredths
place, which then becomes the least significant digit.
Many people find that it is easier to read the bottom of
the meniscus if they put a piece of paper behind the
glassware. You should try this to see for yourself.
Notebooks
There is detailed information on what to record in a
notebook in Section I of the manual and also on Blackboard
in the general information pages. You should record
procedural details as you perform the experiment. If
another person were to repeat your experiment, they would
need to know what procedures and glassware you used in
order to get the same results. Repeatability of experiments
is one of the key elements for research.
Record values to the correct number of significant
digits. The number of significant digits has specific
meaning for scientific measurements. Use the table in
Section III of your manual to help with this for volumetric
measurements and use the 10% rule for equipment with
gradations. If you use digital equipment, the last digit
displayed is generally the least significant digit unless you
are given different information. In this experiment, you
will use a balance for which the least significant digit is in
the hundredths place, which is the last digit displayed.
Include observations in your notebook with the data.
For example, you may experience difficulty in using the
pipette that you believe may lead to error in the values. If
so, make a note of it in your notebook at the time.
It is NOT acceptable to discard data just because it
throws off your accuracy or precision. The only data you
can ignore is data that you took incorrectly and recognized
that it was incorrect at the time you took the data. That must
be documented in your notebook.
You will be graded on organization and completeness.
Although we do not grade explicitly on neatness, if your
notebook is too messy to easily follow, you will lose all
organization points and you may lose additional points for
completeness. Graders are not required to hunt for the data.
All data must be in your notebook, not just on your in-class
worksheet.

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Balances
We have two types of balances in this lab
analytical balances that measure mass to 0.0001 g and
top-loading balances that measure mass to 0.01 g. In this
experiment, you will only use the top-loading balances.
These are the balances you will use any time you need to
measure the mass of a liquid. Although both types of
balances have a tare feature that will subtract the mass of a
container, in this experiment you will not be able to use it
since you will need to transfer the salt solution at your desk,
not at the balance table. Students are not permitted to
transfer liquids at the balance table because the balances
would be damaged by spills.
Although all balances have been calibrated, it is still
best to use the same balance to read the mass of an empty
beaker and then later for the beaker with the solution.
NOTE: All our lab balances have a maximum capacity of
200 g, which means that they may not be used with beakers
larger than 100 ml capacity.
Procedure
Chemical splash goggles must be worn for this
experiment. If you dont have your own, borrow one from
the stockroom for the day. Work with your lab partner. One
of you should get the pipette and volumetric flask from the
stockroom. You will be responsible for returning your
borrowed equipment unbroken and clean when you have
finished the experiment.
Make a salt solution that will float an egg preferably
with none of the shell above the surface of the salt water,
using your largest beaker (600 or 800-ml). Record the
number written on the egg in your notebook. Use deionized
(DI) water for this solution. Your TA will have the eggs
and once you have finished making your solution, return
the egg to your TA. NOTE: This is a raw egg, so be careful!
Measurements
When you are using glassware, rinse it first with a small
amount of the solution you will be using rather than just
with water. That way, if a few drops remain behind, they
wont change the concentration of your solution.
When glassware is calibrated to deliver, that means
that it must be poured into a second container for accurate
measurement. This is in contrast with glassware such as
volumetric flasks that are calibrated to contain.
A. 50-ml graduated cylinder: Graduated cylinders are
calibrated to deliver. That means that when you pour
out the amount, the volume that is poured out will be the
amount you read from the bottom of the meniscus,
taking into account the absolute accuracy of the
instrument. This may be less than the least significant
digit obtained from reading the bottom of the meniscus
since the absolute accuracy takes into account the fact

that a small amount of solution typically remains behind

in the graduated cylinder.
You will use the graduated cylinder to measure 20ml of the salt solution and then you will weigh it. It does
not need to be exactly 20-ml as long as you record the
actual volume in your notebook. Both you and your lab
partner should read the volume independently before
you pour out the solution. If your values do not agree to
within the uncertainty of the glassware, try to resolve the
difference before asking your TA.
Use your smallest beaker (50 or 100-ml) for this
since the others are too heavy and will break our
balances. Record the mass of the empty beaker since
you will not be permitted to pour the solution on the
balance tables. Be sure to bring your notebook to the
balance area so you can record the mass of the empty
beaker, then return to your desk to transfer 20-ml of the
salt solution into the beaker, and then return to the
balance table to weigh the beaker with the solution.
Answer the graduated cylinder question on the in-lab
worksheet before continuing.
B. 10-ml pipette: You will use this to measure 20-ml of the
salt solution and then you will weigh this solution.
Volumetric pipettes are also calibrated to deliver.
They have a narrow line printed above the bulb as shown
below. Fill the pipette so that the bottom of the meniscus
is just on this line.

fill-line
Prior to using this for the salt solution, you and your
lab partner should each practice with some water until
you have confidence that you can pipette accurately.
Observe and critique each other so that you can be sure
you and your lab partner are equally skilled. When you
are ready to measure the salt solution, it is best to rinse
the pipette with a small amount of the salt solution to
avoid diluting your solution with droplets of water
remaining in the pipette.
WARNING: You need to hold the pipette with one
hand on the glass and one hand on the pipette so that the
pipette doesnt fall out and break. When inserting the
glass pipette into the green pipetter and taking it out of
the pipetter, keep your hands close together to avoid
breaking the glass, as shown in the video on using
pipettes on Blackboard.
For the salt solution, since you will be using the pipette
twice to get 20-ml, you add the uncertainties. Some of
the pipettes are rated at 0.02-ml so that would be
0.04-ml for 20-ml and others at 0.04-ml so that would
be 0.08-ml for 20-ml. Others do not have the
uncertainty printed on them. If you have one of the ones
without an uncertainty, use the larger value. Fully rinsed

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the pipette with tap water before returning it so that it

doesnt clog from residue.
Answer the pipette question on the in-lab worksheet
before continuing.
C. 20-ml volumetric flask: These are calibrated to
contain. Weigh the empty, dry volumetric flask and
then rinse it with a few ml of your salt solution before
you fill it. Then measure the mass of the 20-ml of
solution in the flask.
Volumetric flasks should be filled to
within a short distance of the line using a
beaker. You may find it easier to also use
your funnel. An eye dropper should be used
to fill it exactly to the line. There is a video
of this on Blackboard.
You should also measure the mass of the
solution after it has been poured into a beaker so that you
can see the size of the difference in mass if you use
glassware incorrectly to deliver if it has been
calibrated to contain. When you are finished, be sure
you rinse the flask thoroughly with tap water.
Answer the volumetric flask question on the in-lab
worksheet before continuing.
D. Beakers: Use one of your 50 or 100-ml beakers to
measure 20-ml of your solution. Weigh it as before.
Note: Beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks are used for
mixing and transporting chemicals, but they are not
accurate for volume measurements. The gradations on
the side have approximately a 5% uncertainty.
Answer the question on your in-lab worksheet
relating to using a beaker and give the worksheet to
your TA.
Rinse all glassware before returning it to the
stockroom. Tap water is fine for this. The general rule for
washing glassware that has held aqueous solutions is to
rinse it 3 times with water.
When you are finished with your measurements, do
the calculations for determining the density. Talk with your
lab partner and determine which of your density values you
consider most accurate. Post values from the two most
accurate methods on the white-board, along with the name
of the glassware you used for the measurement. There will
be a mandatory discussion of the class results towards the
end of the lab period. If you do not show up on time for
the discussion or if you leave before the end of the
discussion you will lose points toward your grade.
Give your TA your duplicate lab notebook pages before
you leave the lab.
1. This experiment is based on an experiment designed by
Donald Wink of the University of Illinois, Chicago
campus.