Would it float or sink?

Key Points

  • Liquids that are less dense than water will float on the surface. If a floating liquid is toxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms. or flammableEasy to ignite and burns readily., it can evaporate to form a hazardous vaporThe gas given off by a substance that is liquid (or solid) at normal temperatures and pressures. cloud.
  • Liquids (and solids) that are denser than water will sink in water, and liquids that are about as dense as water will form a plume in the water. If toxic or corrosiveLiquid or solid that can destroy human skin or lung tissue or corrode metals., they can contaminate water intakes and/or marine food webs or injure marine animals鈥攅specially bottom-dwellers like shellfish and flatfish.
  • Check the substance's datasheet in CAMEO 365bet娱乐 for its specific gravityThe ratio of the density of a substance at a given temperature to the density of water at the same temperature. A substance with a specific gravity greater than 1.0 will sink (rather than float) in water., a measure of its densityThe ratio of the mass (weight) of a substance to the volume it occupies. For example, if 1 cubic foot of a substance weighs 10 pounds, its density is 10 pounds per cubic foot..聽 Specific gravity is a common way to express liquid density. The specific gravity of water is about 1.0 (it varies a little with temperature and elevation, and seawater is a little denser). Liquids with specific gravities less than 1 will likely float when spilled on water; liquids with specific gravities greater than 1 will likely sink.聽Starting with CAMEO 365bet娱乐 3.0.0, short phrases have been added to the specific gravity values on the chemical datasheets to tell you if the chemical will likely sink or float in fresh water.

    If the specific gravity of a chemical is less than 1.0, it will float in water. If it is above 1.0, it will sink in water.

Backgrounder

A liquid may be more or less dense than water or about equally dense (solids are denser than water and gases are less dense than water). Knowing a liquid's density tells you whether it will float or sink if it's spilled into water.

A substance can pose different hazards to people and/or the environment, depending on whether it floats or sinks:

  • If it floatsIf it floats

    A liquid that's less dense than water will float on the water surface and evaporate into the air. If the liquid is toxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms. or flammableEasy to ignite and burns readily., the evaporating vapors can create a hazardous gas cloud.

    Potential response options might include:

    • Isolating the area
    • Diverting vessel traffic
    • Controlling ignition sources
    • Making sure that responders have the correct personal protection equipment

    You may want to consult an expert to help you identify potential hazards, predict the area that could be at risk, and select response options.

  • If it sinksIf it sinks

    Liquids that are denser than water will sink. Hazardous substances that sink typically pose a less immediate threat to public health than those that float. But they can create secondary threats to public health by contaminating water supplies or marine food webs. ToxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms. or corrosiveLiquid or solid that can destroy human skin or lung tissue or corrode metals. substances that sink into the water can injure or kill aquatic animals鈥攅specially bottom-dwelling animals such as shellfish and flatfish.

    Potential response options might include:

    • Monitoring concentrations at water intakes
    • Closing local fisheries

    You may want to consult an expert to help you identify potential hazards and select response options.

  • If it's as dense as waterIf it's as dense as water

    Liquids that are about as dense as water will form a plume in the water column. There, they can contaminate water supplies or marine food webs, or injure marine animals.

    Potential response options might include:

    • Monitoring concentrations at water intakes
    • Closing local fisheries

    You may want to consult an expert to help you identify potential hazards and select response options.

Specific Gravity Information in CAMEO 365bet娱乐

Follow the steps below to find out about a substance's density:

  1. Search for the chemical.
  2. In the Search Results pages, find the chemical datasheet, and click View Datasheet.
  3. Look in the Physical Properties section of the datasheet for the Specific Gravity.聽Starting with CAMEO 365bet娱乐 3.0.0, short phrases have been added to the specific gravity values to tell you if the chemical will likely sink or float in fresh water.
  4. If the specific gravity isn't listed in the Physical Properties section, look in General Description in the Chemical Identifiers section of the datasheet.

Tip:聽To find out whether the liquid is more dense than water (it will sink) or less dense than water (it will float), compare its density to the density of water. A higher density value means the chemical will sink, a lower value means that it will float.

At ambient pressure and temperature, the density of water is:

  • 8.34聽pounds per gallon (lbs/gal)
  • About 1.0 gram聽per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)
  • About 1.0 gram聽per milliliter (g/mL)

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