How to find the change in volume of a solid to a liquid

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on calculating the change in volume when transitioning granite from a solid to a liquid state. The user has determined the solid density of granite at approximately 2.617 g/cm³, derived from its mineral composition: 60% orthoclase, 30% quartz, 5% hornblende, and 5% biotite. The user seeks a general equation or ratio to estimate the liquid density of granite, as specific data is scarce. The conversation suggests that experimentation may be necessary to obtain accurate values for the liquid state.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of phase changes in materials
  • Knowledge of mineral composition and density calculations
  • Familiarity with specific heat capacities of minerals
  • Basic principles of thermodynamics
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  • Research methods for calculating liquid densities from solid densities
  • Explore the concept of phase change and its impact on volume
  • Investigate specific heat capacities of granite's mineral components
  • Consider experimental approaches to measure the density of molten granite
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Hobbyists, students, and anyone interested in the thermodynamic properties of minerals, particularly those studying phase changes in geological materials.

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TL;DR
I need help finding the density of a liquid substance based on its original density as a solid. I believe I could acquire this from the change in volume during the solid to liquid phase. In my example, I used a specific composition of granite, and broke it down into its compound and elemental mass contributions.
Greetings. This is my first post here. I hope I can get some assistance for my problem.

Context​

Just to preface, this is just for a hobby and not any kind of homework or professional problem. With that said, I have been writing calculation step-by-step guides on phase changes in an effort to teach myself the methods. In my chemical composition guide, I use granite that is composed of 60% orthoclase, 30% quartz, 5% hornblende, and 5% biotite. From this, the density and mass contribution fractions of these mineral compounds were used to calculate the density of solid granite (~2.617 g/cm3) which I had planned to apply universally in the different phase changes.

Problem​

Provided I can find the specific heat capacities of each element in their solid state, I believe proceeding from here with finding the energy to melt granite is easy enough. However, where I faltered is I did not consider that the density of granite would not be persistent in vaporization due to the change in volume a solid to a liquid undergoes. The value I acquired is strictly for granite in its solid form, not liquid/molten granite. So if I wished to continue on from here, I would have to obtain the liquid density of the mineral compounds.

Help​

Because information that is usually this specific is not available online, I would like to inquire if there is a seamless way to calculate the change in volume of a solid to a liquid. It would not have to be exact, but rather, just a general rule of thumb equation, like a ratio, would be sufficient for my guide. However, if such a method is non-existent, I would greatly appreciate some pointers in the right direction. Also, since my example is rather specific, I can elaborate on it if needed.
 
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Have you considered doing it experimentally?
 
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Chestermiller said:
Have you considered doing it experimentally?
I had not. That would probably be too ambitious for the scope of my small project. Especially for a layman like myself who is now only scratching the surface of these concepts, or at least that is how I view myself. My goal was to rely on preexisting data to solve for the [phase change] energies of granite mathematically. Do you think experimentation on my end is the only path to finding the answer I need?
 

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