Question

Marcus has a piece of metal. He knows that the metal is either made of pure zinc or a mixture of zinc and iron. What property could he easily measure in the lab to help him determine whether the metal is pure zinc?

Answer 1

The answer is Density 

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

It is known that an element is a substance which contains only one type or kind of atoms.

For example, a pure zinc will contain only atoms of zinc.

Also, density is the amount of mass present in per unit of a substance.

Mathematically, Density =
`(mass)/(volume)`

And, density of a pure zinc is 7.140 g/ml. But density of a substance made up of a mixture of zinc and iron will be different from that of a pure zinc.

Whereas shape, boiling point or solubility of two substances can be same. But density of a pure substance will always be different from a substance made up of mixture of atoms.

Thus, we can conclude that density is the property which can be easily measured in the lab to help him determine whether the metal is pure zinc.