How do I tell what element is present if I have the density?

Question

Do I divide it by the volume and that gives me the mass which would help me find the element?

The Density is 8.2 g/cm^3 and the volume is 1.04 ml, I found the mass to be 8.5 grams, would that be Beryllium, even though Beryllium's mass is over 9? Please help?!
Thanks!

Answer 1

You are confusing mass and density. If the thing you weighed consists of a pure element and it is 100% dense (does not contain any air pockets or closed holes), then the density should be very close to the density published for one of the elements. The atomic mass is a different thing than the bulk density. Mass is in units of grams or lbs (or atomic mass units). Density is in units of mass per unit volume, grams per cubic cm or lbs per cubic inch.

I hope this helps