Question

A 46.9 gram sample of a substance has a volume of about 3.5 centimeters3. It is solid at a room temperature of 23ºC. Out of the four substances whose properties are given, which is the most likely identity of this substance?
Substance Density (g/cm3) Melting Point (°C) Boiling Point (°C)
molybdenum 10.28 2,623 4,639
mercury 13.53 -39 357
hafnium 13.31 2,233 4,603
lead 11.34 327 1,749
A.
molybdenum
B.
mercury
C.
hafnium
D.
lead

Answer 1

Answer:- C. Hafnium.

Solution:- Mass of the sample is 46.0 g and it's volume is $3.5cm^3$ .

From mass and volume, we can calculate it's density using the formula:

$density=\frac{mass}{volume}$

$density=\frac{46.9g}{3.5cm^3}$

$density=\frac{13.4g}{cm^3}$

On the basis of the density, this substance could either be mercury or hafnium. Since the substance is a solid at room temperature where as mercury is liquid. So, it can't be mercury.

The right choice is C) Hafnium.