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Color Changing Cylinder
Target Age: Any
Topics: Chemistry
Concepts: Acids, bases, indicators, color changing reactions, sublimation
Estimated Time: 5 minutes

Brief Description: When dry ice is added to a graduated cylinder filled with warm water and universal
indicator, the color of the water changes from green to red.

The Science Behind It:

Dry ice, which is solid carbon dioxide, sublimes in room temperature under normal atmospheric
conditions, and very rapidly in water. When it dissolves in water, carbonic acid is formed. As the dry ice
continues to sublime and dissolve in water, the pH of the solution gradually grows more and more acidic.
By adding universal indicator to the water in the graduated cylinder, the color of the solution will
gradually change from green to red as the carbonic acid turns the solution more acidic. This is because
universal indicator is actually a combination of many different types of indicators, all of which change
color at a different pH.

Safety:
Gloves should always be worn when handling dry ice.

Materials:
● Dry ice
● Gloves
● Universal Indicator (roughly 15 mL for a 1000mL graduated cylinder)
● Warm water
● Large graduated cylinder (1000mL - 2000mL, preferably clear)

Procedure:
1. Add 10 - 15 mL of universal indicator to a large graduated cylinder.
a. Make certain this step happens BEFORE the water is added, as otherwise the universal
indicator may not be spread uniformly throughout.
2. Fill the large graduated cylinder about ¾ of the way with warm water (hot water will also work,
cold not so much).
a. Do not fill it all the way up, as the solution will bubble over when the dry ice is added
3. Gently swirl the graduated cylinder if the universal indicator is not spread uniformly throughout.
4. Using gloves, add several pellets of dry ice to the solution
5. Watch the color change!
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Discussion Questions:
● Was this a chemical reaction or a physical reaction? Why?
○ Answer: Chemical, Color change
● Explain to them that carbon dioxide becomes acidic when dissolved in water. Then, knowing that
we breathe out carbon dioxide, ask them what would happen if we blew bubbles in the solution.
○ Answer: Eventually, the same color changes would happen. But it would take a lot of
blowing, because our breath is not pure carbon dioxide, but rather full of water as well!