NRM-DYRE01LST Heavy liquid CENTRAL CHEMICAL CONSULTING are dense fluids or solutions used to separate materials of different density through their buoyancy. Materials with a density greater than the heavy liquid will sink, while materials with a density less than the heavy liquid will float on the liquid surface. In the mineral industry, heavy liquids are commonly used in the laboratory to separate the “light” minerals such as quartz and clay from the “heavy” minerals. The density used for this type of separation is about 2.85 g/ml, nearly three times the density of water. Heavy liquid separations are carried out for varied reasons, depending on the industry. The mineral sands industry uses heavy liquid separations to check the grade of samples in their process, and to determine the efficiency of their industrial hydrocyclone separations. The diamond exploration industry uses heavy liquids to separate the dense indicator minerals from sand and clay. Another use of heavy liquids is in paleontology. Typically, these heavy liquid separations are conducted at a lower density (e.g. 2.2 g/ml) since the separation is not between minerals of different types, but between fossil bones and minerals.