pH and Indicator

The term pH is a numerical indication of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. It has
values ranging from 0 – 14 and these values are used to develop the pH scale.

Substances with a pH from 0 to 2 are strong acids, e.g. HCl, H2SO4, HNO3

Substances with a pH from 4 to 6 are weak acids, e.g. Ethanoic acid, Citric acid

Substances with a pH of 7 are neutral, e.g. H2O

Substances with a pH from 8 to 10 are weak bases, e.g. NH4OH, Mg(OH)2

Substances with a pH from 12 to 14 are strong bases, e.g. NaOH, KOH

Indicators

An indicator is a dye whose colour depends upon the pH of the solution in which it is displaced. Some
common indicators are as follows:

INDICATOR COLOUR IN ACID COLOUR IN BASE

Methyl orange Pink/red Orange
Screened methyl orange Magenta Green
Litmus Red/pink Blue
Phenolphthalein Colourless Pink

Screened methyl orange contains methyl orange plus a blue dye whose colour is unaffected by pH.

Therefore:

Acid colour = blue + red = magenta

Alkaline colour = blue + yellow = green

Universal Indicator

This is a mixture of indicators and consequently shows a range of colours corresponding to the pH range
of the solution. In other words, it has the advantage of indicating the rough value of the pH of the solution
unlike the other indicators which only show acidic or alkaline solution. The colour of the universal indicator
is compared to a colour chart that is provided to determine the pH range.

Note: the only accurate way to determine the pH of a solution is using a pH meter.