ISCI 172 Chemistry and Physics Lesson Plan Sheet

Type of Lesson
 Chemistry
Activity Name:
 Red Cabbage pH Indicator
Learning Style:
 Visual
 Kinesthetic
Topic:
 pH Indicator Solution
Grades Level Lesson is Appropriate For:
 6th
Materials Needed:
 Red cabbage
 Hot water
 Small plastic bag
 Scissors
 Well Plate
 Pipet
 Baking soda
 Washing soda
 Lemon juice
 Vinegar
 Antacids
 Equate
 Citric Acid
Time considerations:
 45 minutes
Brief description of Activity/Procedures (please be as specific as possible so others
can use it. Add any web addresses that you can to help others)
1. Cut the cabbage into small pieces until you have about ½ cup of chopped
cabbage. Place the cabbage in a small plastic bag and add hot water to cover
the cabbage. Allow at least ten minutes for the color to leach out of the
cabbage. (You can rub the cabbage to make this go faster).
2. You will end up with a red-purple-bluish colored liquid. This liquid is at
about pH 7. (The exact color you get depends on the pH of the water.)
3. Use a pipet to extract the cabbage juice and place in one of the wells in the
plate, this is your constant.
4. Add various household solutions to your well plate and use the pipet filled
with cabbage juice to add a few drops onto the solutions. Watch them change
color and note if they are acidic or basic!
Science behind this experiment:
Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an anthocyanin). This
water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and
grapes. Very acidic solutions will turn anthocyanin a red color. Neutral solutions
result in a purplish color. Basic solutions appear in greenish-yellow. Therefore, it is
possible to determine the pH of a solution based on the color it turns the
anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice. The color of the juice changes in
response to changes in its hydrogen ion concentration. pH is the -log[H+]. Acids will
donate hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution and have a low pH (pH 7).
Pictures:

Source of lesson:
 Mrs. Cindy and https://www.thoughtco.com/making-red-cabbage-ph-
indicator-603650