Mercury has a specific gravity of 13.6. How many milliliters of mercury have a mass of 0.35 kg?

• A. 47.1 mL
• B. 13.6 mL
• C. 25.7 mL
• D. 35.0 mL

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that specific gravity (SG) is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water. Since the density of water is 1 g/mL, the density of mercury can be found by multiplying the specific gravity by 1 g/mL. So, \( \text{density of mercury} = 13.6 \times 1 \ \text{g/mL} = 13.6 \ \text{g/mL} \).
2. Convert the given mass of mercury from kilograms to grams because the density is in grams per milliliter. Use the conversion \( 1 \ \text{kg} = 1000 \ \text{g} \), so \( 0.35 \ \text{kg} = 0.35 \times 1000 = 350 \ \text{g} \).
3. Use the formula relating mass, density, and volume: \( \text{density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}} \). Rearranged to find volume, it becomes \( \text{volume} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{density}} \).
4. Substitute the known values into the volume formula: \( \text{volume} = \frac{350 \ \text{g}}{13.6 \ \text{g/mL}} \).
5. Calculate the volume in milliliters from the above expression to find how many milliliters of mercury correspond to the given mass.