pH INDICATORS

RED CABBAGE


Red cabbage juice is amazing! Acids and bases make it change color!

Topics: Acids and Bases - pH, Chemical Reactions


Create an inexpensive pH test solution

Materials List
Red cabbage, darker red the better
Knife
Cooking pot
Water
Strainer, sieve or cheese cloth
Storage bottle w/ lid
Funnel
Baking soda
Vinegar
Eye droppers or disposable pipettes
White cups, test tubes or soda bottle Pre-forms
White LED lights to illuminate the liquids to better show the colors.


This activity can be used to teach:
Acids and bases (CA Science Standards:
Grade 8, 5.e, HS, Chemistry, 5.a-f)
Properties of products from chemical reactions (CA Science Standards:
Grade 5, 1.a)
Preparation

Note: There is a strong smell when cooking cabbage; Red Cabbage color
extract can be made in advance and refrigerated for 4 days or frozen in
freezer containers/bags for a year and then used as needed.

Consider doing this investigation outside to limit the cabbage smell when
cooking. Carefully wash all cups and equipment after the investigation.

1. Chop the red cabbage into ~5 cm (2) pieces and use a low boil in a pot
with just enough water to cook it, until the water turns dark purple.

2. Allow time for the solution to cool. Use a strainer or sieve to separate
the red cabbage solution from the leaves. Discard the leaves. You can use
a coffee filter for a final filtering, if you wish.
3. Cabbage juice indicator solution can be refrigerated for short-term (1-2
day) use or stored indefinitely in a freezer. When ready for use, allow time
to thaw.


To Do and Notice

I lluminate back light the liquid in the containers with flash light or white
LED lights to bring out the colors

1. Add a couple of drops of vinegar (contains acetic acid, a weak acid) to a
cup, test tube or soda bottle preform filled with indicator. The cabbage
juice will turn slightly pink.

2. Mix 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of baking soda (contains sodium bicarbonate, a
weak base) into 240 ml (1 cup) of water. Add a couple of drops of sodium
bicarbonate solution to the indicator. The cabbage juice should turn slightly
bluish-green.

3. Mix the vinegar/cabbage juice solution in step 1 with the baking
soda/cabbage juice solution in step 2. Bubbles will form (carbon dioxide)
and the cabbage juice will change to back to purple (the indicator solution
has become more neutral).

The Science Behind the Activity

An acid is substance that can donate hydrogen ions (H+). A base is a
substance that can accept hydrogen ions. Indicators are used to detect the
relative concentrations of hydrogen ions (pH). Cabbage juice contains
Anthocyanins that are highly sensitive to pH. Anthocyanins reflect red light
in the presence of acids (pH < 7) and blue light (pH>7) when mixed with
bases.
When vinegar reacts with baking soda, the resulting reaction neutralizes
both the acid and the base to form a salt (sodium acetate). The reaction
also produces carbon dioxide (CO 2) gas.

Taking it Further

Test the pH of various household liquids (e.g. - lemon juice, sprite, soap;
drain cleaner must only be used by an adult!). Note: Use caution when
using household cleansers and do not mix them.

NEVER MIX CLORINE BLEACH OR CLEANERS AND AMMONIA.
It will release dangerous Chlorine gas.

Visit www.raft.net/more for how-to videos and more ideas!

More on the pH scale -
http://staff.jccc.net/PDECELL/chemistry/phscale.html

Written by Jay Gluckman (RAFT)

Copyright 2011, RAFT IDEAS - http://printfu.org/read/cabbage-patch-indicator-
cdb2.html?f=1qeYpurpn6Wih-SUpOGumKinh6_Q2MfVz8qQwsri186VttPQ2NnG6NfXkq3cqKagl-
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More.
Common household products and garden plants can be
used as pH indicators.

Most plants contain pH sensitive Anthocyanins, so experiment with other
plants, too. Many of these natural pH indicators exhibit a broad range of
colors.
Plants
Beets
A very basic solution will change the color of beets or beet juice from red
to purple.
'Black' Berries
Blackberries, black currants, and black raspberries change from red in an
acidic environment to blue or violet in a basic environment.
Blueberries
Blueberries are blue around pH 2.8-3.2, but turn red as the solution
becomes even more acidic.
Carrots
Cherries
Cherries and their juice are red in an acidic solution, but turn blue to
purple in a basic solution.
Curry Powder
Curry contains the pigment curcumin, which changes from yellow at pH
7.4 to red at pH 8.6.
Delphinium Petals
The Anthocyanins delphinin changes from bluish-red in an acidic solution
to violet blue in a basic solution.
Elderberries The berries make a rich royal red color that is also
used to add color to wines. Follow directions for Red Cabbage
Geranium Petals
Geraniums contain the Anthocyanins pelargonin, which changes from
orange-red in an acidic solution to blue in a basic solution.
Grapes
Red and purple grapes contain multiple anthocyanins. Blue grapes
contain a monoglucoside of malvinidin which changes from deep red in
an acidic solution to violet in a basic solution.
Horse Chestnut Leaves
Soak horse chestnut leaves in alcohol to extract the fluorescent dye
esculin. Esculin is colorless at pH 1.5 but becomes fluorescent blue at pH
2. Get the best effect by shining a black light on the indicator.
Morning Glories
Morning glories contain a pigment named 'heavenly blue anthocyanin'
which changes from purplish-red at pH 6.6 to blue at pH 7.7.
Onion
Onions are olfactory indicators. You don't smell onions in strongly basic
solutions. Red onion also changes from pale red in an acidic solution to
green in a basic solution.
Pansy Petals
Petunia Petals
The anthocyanin petunin changes from reddish-purple in an acidic
solution to violet in a basic solution.
Poison Primrose
Primula sinensis has orange or blue flowers. The orange flowers contain
a mixture of pelargonins (see Geranium). The blue flowers contain
malvin, which turns from red to purple as a solution goes from acidic to
basic.
Poppy Petals
Poinsettia
Poinsettia
Emily Roesly, www.morguefile.com

Many plants contain pigments that are responsive to changes in acidity. An
example is the poinsettia plant, which has colored 'flowers' (really
specialized leaves called bracts). Although poinsettias are perennials in
warmer climates, most people are likely to see them used as a decorative
houseplant over the winter holidays. You can extract the red pigment from
deeply colored poinsettias and use it to make your own pH paper strips to
test whether a liquid is an acid or a base.
Materials
poinsettia 'flowers'
beaker or cup
hot plate or boiling water
scissors or a blender
filter paper or coffee filters
0.1 M HCl
vinegar (dilute acetic acid)
baking soda solution (2 g / 200 mL water)
0.1 M NaOH
Procedure
1. Cut red flower petals into strips or chop them in a blender. Place the
cut pieces into a beaker or cup.
2. Add just enough water to cover the plant material. Simmer until the
color is removed from the plant. (Personally, I would just microwave
the chopped bracts with a little water for about a minute and allow the
mixture to steep, like a tea.)
3. Filter the liquid through a coffee filter into another container, such as
a petri dish. Discard the plant matter.
4. Saturate clean filter paper with the poinsettia solution. Allow the filter
paper to dry. You can cut the colored paper with scissors to make pH
test strips. Or place small amounts of the liquid on white plates or in
small test tubes to use the liquid for pH testing.
5. Use a dropper or toothpick to apply a little liquid to a test strip or
liquid. The color range for acids and bases will depend on the particular
plant. If you like, you can construct a chart of pH and colors using
liquids with a known pH so that you can then test unknowns. Examples
of acids include hydrochloric acid (HCl), vinegar, and lemon juice.
Examples of bases include sodium or potassium hydroxide (NaOH or
KOH) and baking soda solution.
6. Another way to use your pH paper is as a color-change paper. You
can draw on pH paper using a toothpick or cotton swab that has been
dipped in an acid or base.
Poke Berries - CAUTION, Poke Berries are toxic if eaten !
Purple Peonies
Peonin changes from reddish-purple or magenta in an acidic solution to
deep purple in basic solution.
Red (Purple) Cabbage
Red cabbage contains a mixture of pigments used to indicate a wide pH
range.
Purple Grapes, the skins only or like G\
Red Radish
Rhubarb
Rose Petals
The oxonium salt of cyanin turns from red to blue in basic solution.
Strawberries
Tea
Thyme Extract in Alcohol 91% Isopropyl or Denatured Ethanol.
Turmeric Extract in Alcohol
This spice contains a yellow pigment, curcumin, which changes from
yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.
Tulip Petals
Violet Petals
Household Chemicals
Baking Soda (NaHCO
3
)
Baking soda will fizz when added to an acidic solution (such as vinegar),
but will not fizz in an alkaline solution. The reaction doesn't readily
reverse itself, so baking soda can be used to test a solution, but can't be
'reused'. The reaction is:
HCO
3
-
(aq) + H
+
(aq) = H
2
O(l) + CO
2
(g)
Color change Lipstick
You'll need to test your color-change lipstick to determine its pH range,
but most cosmetics that change color respond to changes in pH
(different from cosmetics that change color according to angle of light).
Washing Soda
As with baking soda, washing soda fizzes in an acidic solution but not in
a basic solution.