The Victor Meyer apparatus is the standard laboratory method for determining the molecular weight of a volatile liquid. It was developed by Viktor Meyer, who spelled his name Victor in publications at the time of its development. In this method, a known mass of a volatile solid or liquid under examination is converted is carefully vaporized in a tube, while measuring the volume of air displaced. The molar quantity of evaporate can then be calculated via the ideal gas law, and thence the molar mass.