Department of Chemical Engineering

School of Engineering and Architecture

Saint Louis University

EXPERIMENT NO. 3

DETERMINATION OF ABSOLUTE VISCOSITY USING

OSTWALD VISCOMETER

GROUP NO. 2

Pelayo, Jonh Vincent

Rosendo, Rocel
Aguilar, Amuelle Joyce
Bohol, Jolina
Macaranas, Rosalinda
Suarez, Celeste
 Department of Chemical Engineering
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LABORATORY REPORT EVALUATION SHEET 1

Group Number: 2 Schedule: 1:30-4:30 F

Group Members: Pelayo, Jonh Vincent Date Performed: Oct. 18, 2019
Rosendo, Rocel Date Submitted: Oct. 25, 2019
Aguilar, Amuelle Joyce
Bohol, Jolina
Macaranas, Rosalinda
Suarez, Celeste
CONTENTS TOTAL REMARKS SCORE
POINTS
I. Problem Statement/Objectives 5
II. Discussion/Theoretical 15
Background
III. Materials: 10
a) Drawing/ Illustration of Set-up
b) Classification and Uses

IV. Methodology/ Procedures 10

V. Data and Results 15
VI. Analysis of Results 15
VII. Conclusion and 10
Recommendation
VIII. Appendices: 10
a) Definition of Terms
b) Documentation
c) Computation
d) Answers to Questions/
Problems
IX. Bibliography/ References 5
X. Format and Neatness 5

TOTAL POINTS: 100 SCORE:

Evaluated by: Date:

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I. OBJECTIVES

The experiment aims to determine the absolute viscosity of organic

liquids using Ostwald Viscometer and to determine the relationship of

viscosity and density measured using Westphal Balance.

II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Viscosity has a unit of poise in cgs which is named after the French

physician Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799 – 1869). Poise is equivalent

to dyne-second per square centimeter. It is the viscosity of a fluid in which

a tangential force of 1 dyne per square centimeter maintains a difference

in velocity of 1 centimeter per second between two parallel planes 1

centimeter apart.

Having known the viscosity of a liquid is important. Thus, viscosity

plays a vital role to our daily lives. In the medical field for example, doctors

always measures how viscose the blood of his patient is. It is because

when a patient’s blood is too thick then it can cause clotting and lead to a

heart attack or stroke, or if it’s too thin then he can readily bleed from a

small cut for hours. On the other hand, in the Chemical Engineering field,

viscosity measurement also plays a big part in the industry.

For example, when an engineer designs for the distribution system

of water from a water plant for a town, given the average demand of water

for the town for any given time, knowing the viscosity of water, engineers
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will be able to know the flow of the water, the pressure of the pipes

underground, the size of pipes to be used, and more to follows.

In the experiment, the viscosity of two liquids can be compared by

making use of an Ostwald. The liquids are allowed to flow through the

capillary while timed to determine experimental viscosity of each of the

liquids being test.

In doing the experiment, it is important that the students know

beforehand the basic principle that the density is the main factor that

brings about the differences in the viscosity of the different liquids. Thus,

density is directly proportional to the viscosity, therefore, the smaller the

density of a liquid, the smaller the viscosity is, or vice versa. Also, viscosity

varies with temperature. In general, the viscosity of a simple liquid

decreases with increasing temperature (and vice versa). As temperature

increases, the average speed of the molecules in a liquid increases and

the amount of time they spend “in contact” with their nearest neighbors

decreases. Thus, as temperature increases, the average intermolecular

forces decrease. The exact manner in which the two quantities vary is

nonlinear and changes suddenly when the liquid changes phase. Viscosity

is normally independent of pressure, this do not varies the value of

viscosity. Since liquids are normally incompressible, an increase in

pressure doesn’t really bring the molecules significantly closer together.

Lastly, different fluids possess different amounts of viscosity: syrup

is more viscous than water; grease is more viscous than the engine oil;
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liquids in general are much more viscous than gases. The viscosity of

different fluids can be expressed quantitatively by the coefficient of

viscosity, η (the Greek lowercase letter eta).

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III. MATERIALS

A. Illustration of Set-up
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B. Classification and Uses

Apparatus Uses

Ostwald -Consists of U-shaped glass tube held vertically used to

Viscometer time the flow of liquid in order to compute the viscosity
Pipette with -Used to measure small amount of liquid
pipetol

Iron stand with -Used for strengthening or holding things together.

clamp

Timer -Used to measure time

Pycnometer -Is a container used for determining the density of a liquid

or powder, having a specific volume and often provided
with a thermometer to indicate the temperature of the
contained substance

C. Reagents

Hydrochloric Acid

Benzene

Distilled Water

Methanol

Chloroform

IV. METHODOLOGY

A. Ostwald Viscometer

Before starting the experiment the capillary of the apparatus was

cleaned with hydrochloric acid followed by distilled water and was dried.

The viscometer was clamped in an iron stand for support and safety. 5 mL

of water was pipetted into arm C of the viscometer until it is above the
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mark at the top of the bulb. The water was drawn up the other arm of the

tube until it is above mark A. The time the surface of the water falls

between marks A and B was recorded and repeated until trial 3. These

procedures were repeated with benzene, methanol and chloroform. After

the experiment the apparatus was cleaned with distilled water and dried

carefully.

B. Pycnometer (No available Westphal Balance)

Clean the pycnometer with hydrochloric acid followed by distilled

water then dry completely. Then, weigh the pycnometer accurately.

Determine the weight of water (measured weight minus weight of empty

pycnometer). Afterwards, compute the volume of water then compute the

density of the different organic compounds with reference to the density of

water.

V. DATA AND RESULTS

Room Temperature: 25 degree Celsius Pressure: 624 mmHg

Compounds Time 1 (sec) Time 2 (sec) Time Average

Distilled Water 0.72 0.83 0.775
Benzene 0.54 0.52 0.53
Chloroform 0.49 0.47 0.48
Methanol 0.60 0.64 0.62
Unknown 1.11 1 1.055

Density using Pycnometer

Compounds Density 1 (g/ml) Density 2 (g/ml) Average Density

Distilled Water 0.99705 0.99705 0.99705
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Benzene 0.8734 0.8704 0.8719

Chloroform 1.4668 1.4661 1.4665
Methanol 0.7906 0.7902 0.7904
Unknown 0.7898 0.7897 0.7858

Computed Viscosity using Equation 6: Ostwald-Westphal Equation

Compounds Mean ⴄ (Poise)

Distilled Water 0.0089
Benzene 5.3225x10-3
Chloroform 8.1076 x10-3
Methanol 5.6443 x10-3
Unknown 9.5485 x10-3

VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Using viscometer is one of the efficient way to determine the

rate of flow of a liquid through its rigid capillary tube. By using viscometer,

the time of outflow by the influence of the gravity can be obtained. It is

observed in this experiment that the relationship between temperature and

viscosity is inversely proportional: as temperature increases, the viscosity

of the liquid decreases due to expansion of the atoms when high heat is

added. Whereas, the relationship between pressure and viscosity is

directly proportional: as the pressure increases, the viscosity also

increases, and vice versa for the reason that the molecules move more

closely and have less free space to move when high pressure is applied.

Viscosity determination using Ostwald viscometer needs a well-known

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liquid (e.g. water) as a reference sample to calculate each of its missing

parameters.

The importance of the cleanliness of the viscometer must be

emphasized, contamination of the liquid sample will affect the accuracy of

the apparatus. Its orientation must be vertically straight from the iron stand

where it is attached, time of outflow will be affected and also the reading of

the calibration marks when it is tilted. The liquid passes the calibration

marks as fast or less than a second, recorder must be attentive enough to

avoid errors.

VII. APPENDICES

A. Definition of Terms

 Dynamic Viscosity - viscosity related to the external force applied

to non-Newtonian fluids.

 Kinematic Viscosity - inherent viscosity of Newtonian fluids, that

does not change with a change in applied force.

 Density - a measure of the amount of information on a storage

medium (tape or disk). For magnetic tape it is the amount of

information recorded per unit length of tape (bits per inch or

millimeter); for a disk, a fixed number of bits per sector, sectors per

track, and tracks per disk.

 Poise - a unit of dynamic viscosity, such that a tangential force of

one dyne per square centimeter causes a velocity change one

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centimeter per second between two parallel planes separated by

one centimeter in a liquid.

 Fluid friction - describes the friction between layers of a viscous

fluid that are moving relative to each other.

 Cohesive Forces -Attractive forces between molecules of the

same type are called cohesive forces.

B. Documentation

Figure 1. Water in the Ostwald Figure 2. Weighing of

viscometer pycnometer using digital
balance
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Figure 3. Measuring the

temperature of the water using
thermometer

C. Computation

𝜌 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒

𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 21.7690 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = .8734𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 21.6894 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 2 = = = .8704𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

. 8743 + .8704 𝑔
𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝜌 = = .8719𝑚𝐿
2
𝜂𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒

𝜂𝑟 . 0089
𝜂𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒 = 𝜌𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑒𝑛𝑒 ( ) = (. 8719)(. 53) [ ]
𝜌𝑟 𝑡𝑟 (. 99705)(.775)
= 5.3225 × 10−3 𝑃

𝜌 𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚

𝑚𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 36.5517 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = 1.4668𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458
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𝑚𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 36.5351 × .99705 𝑔
𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 2 = = = 1.4661𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

1.4668 + 1.4661 𝑔
𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝜌 = = 1.4665𝑚𝐿
2
𝜂𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚

𝜂𝑟 . 0089
𝜂𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 = 𝜌𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 ( ) = (1.4665)(. 59) [ ]
𝜌𝑟 𝑡𝑟 (. 99705)(.775)
= 9.9656 × 10−3 𝑃

𝜌 𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙

𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 19.7009 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = .7906𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 19.6901 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 2 = = = .7902𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

. 7906 + .7902 𝑔
𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝜌 = = .7904𝑚𝐿
2
𝜂𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙

𝜂𝑟 . 0089
𝜂𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 = 𝜌𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙 ( ) = (. 7904)(. 62) [ ]
𝜌𝑟 𝑡𝑟 (. 99705)(.775)
= 5.6443 × 10−3 𝑃

𝜌 𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛

𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 19.6835 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 1 = = = .7818𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 × 𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 19.6783 × .99705 𝑔

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 2 = = .7897𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 24.8458

. 7818 + .7897 𝑔
𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝜌 = = .7858𝑚𝐿
2
𝜂𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛
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𝜂𝑟 . 0089
𝜂𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 = 𝜌𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 ( ) = (. 7858)(1.055) [ ]
𝜌𝑟 𝑡𝑟 (. 99705)(.775)
= 9.5485 × 10−3 𝑃

D. Answer to Questions

1) What are the assumptions made in this experiments which makes the

viscosity and density valid without the temperature being measured?

2) If the mass of the liquids is measured instead of its density and make use

of the same formula would the viscosity of the sample be same, increase

or decrease?

3) In an experiment with an Ostwald viscometer, the times of flow of water

and ethanol are 80s and 175s at 20°C. The density of water is 0.998g/cm³

and that of ethanol 0.790 g/cm³. The viscosity of water at 20°C is 0.01008

poise. Calculate the viscosity of ethanol.

Given:

T=20°C
twater = 80 s
tethanol = 175 s
ρwater = 0.998 g/cm³
ρethanol = 0.790 g/cm³
η (water) = 0.01008 poise
Required:
η (ethanol)

Solution:

η (water) = 0.01008 poise (1 g*cm-1 s-1/1 poise) = 0.01008g/cm.s

η (ethanol) = (ρ ethanol)(tethanol)(ηr/ρrtr )
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η (ethanol) = (0.790 g/cm³)(175s)(0.01008 g*cm-1 s-1/0.998 g/cm³(80 s))

η (ethanol) = 0.0175 g/cm.s

4) An experiment was performed that measured the flow of four different

liquids as temperature was increased. According to the graph, which of

the liquids had the greatest viscosity at a temperature of 30 °C?

TEMPERATURE (°C)

Legend:
---------A
---------B
---------C
---------D

- The liquid that has the greatest viscosity at temperature 30C is Liquid D.
The dimensional formula of coefficient of viscosity is η = ρt(ηr/ρr tr )

5) How does the viscosity of a liquid change with temperature?

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- Viscosity of a liquid change with temperature in a way that

viscosity decreases
as is temperature increases.

6) In an experiment with an Ostwald Viscometer, the viscosity of the toluene

and water at 30 °C is 0.579 and 0.8007 poise. The times of flow of water

and toluene are 41s and 34.5s. The density of water is 1.002 g/cm3.

Calculate the density of toluene.

Given:
T=30°C
twater = 41s
ttoluene = 34.5s
ρwater = 1.002g/cm³
η (water) = 0.8007 poise
η (toluene) = 0.579 poise

Required:
Ρtoluene

Solution:
η water = 0.8007 poise (1 g*cm-1 s-1/1 poise) = 0.8007g/cm. s

η toluene = 0.579 poise (1 g*cm-1 s-1/1 poise) = 0.579g/cm. s

η toluene = (ρtoluene)(ttoluene)(ηr/ρr tr )

0.579g/cm. s = (ρtoluene)(34.5s)(0.8007 g*cm-1 s-1/1.002 g/cm3 (41 s))

ρtoluene = 0.8611g/cm3
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VIII. REFERENCES

Atkins, Peter W. and de Paula, Julia (2010). Physical Chemistry, 9 th

edition, Oxford University Press, New York

Atkins, Peter W. and de Paula, Julia (2011). Physical Chemistry for the

Life Sciences, 2nd edition, W.H. Freeman & Company, New York