ENCHEM1L - Assessing Acid and Bases at home with a Red Cabbage PH indicator

Assessing Acid and Bases at home with a

Aqueous Red Cabbage Extracts PH indicator
Debbie I, Dy1, Claire Devvie DC. Concepcion2
1College of Engineering, National University, Manila

Abstract. Acids and bases are some of the most important chemical kinds in chemistry. We use acids and
bases every day at home. We can recognize acid as it makes food and drinks taste sour. If people have ever
tasted sticky or ever felt a liquid that feels slippery like soap, those substances are possibly bases. One way to
assess whether a substance is an acid or a base is to evaluate its pH. pH is the scale used in chemistry to
measure acids and bases. The scale is numbered from 1 to 12. Acids have a pH between about 1 and 6. Bases
have a pH of between 8 and 12. If your pH is at 7, this means that the substance is neutral and is neither an acid
nor a base. Just like we use a thermometer temperature scale to find out if something is hot or cold, we can use
the pH scale to find out if something is an acid or a base. An easy way to do this is to utilize pH paper, which is
a piece of paper with a chemical on it that changes color if it is mixed with acids or bases.
Keywords: Acid; Bases; Red Cabbage; pH; indicator; Red Cabbage Extract

1 Introduction anthocyanin (Buddies, 2012). Flavin is a water-

Acids are solutions that lose hydrogen ions and
appear to taste sour. Some of the most popular
household remedies are acids, such as citrus fruit
juices and household vinegar. Bases are solutions
that take hydrogen ions out of the solution and into
themselves, "accepting" them, and typically feel
slippery (Tunesi, 2019). Bases have a lot of practical
applications. For example, antacids are used to
reduce the acidity of your stomach (Knott, 2020).
Other bases make household cleaning items useful.
You may use a chemical called an indicator to
tell whether anything is an acid or a base. The
indicator changes color when it comes to acid or
base. There are several different types of markers,
some of which are liquids and some are
concentrated on small strips of litmus paper.
Indicators can be extracted from a variety of
sources, including the pigment of many plants. Red
cabbages, for example, contain an indicator pigment
molecule called flavin.
Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH
indicator that changes color depending on the
acidity of the solution. The pigment in red cabbage
that induces red color change is called flavin, and
soluble pigment often present in apple skins, plums,
and grapes. Extremely acidic solutions transform the
indicator into a red color, neutral solutions turn the
indicator into a purple color, and simple solutions
turn the indicator into a greenish-yellow color.
The pH of the solution shows the concentration
of hydrogen ions (H+) (Peirce, 1998). At a lower pH
the solution contains more hydrogen ions and thus
the solution is acidic. Many reactions in nature
include a rise or decrease in acidity. For example, as
CO2 concentrations rise in the atmosphere, larger
quantities are dissolved in the oceans, reacting with
H2O to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). Carbonic acid
quickly disassociates into bicarbonate(HCO3-) and
hydrogen ion (H+).
1.1 Objectives
The purpose of this research is to determine
how acidic and basic the various materials
commonly found around our house are. Using an
aqueous extract of red cabbage to create a pH
indicator. It can tell whether anything is an acid or a
base, and how acidic or basic it is, depending on
how much the color changes. This study also seeks
to discuss the pH of the various liquids.
1
ENCHEM1L - Assessing Acid and Bases at home with a Red Cabbage PH indicator
1.2 Significance of the Study
Every day, we meet with acids and bases. A
variety of pH values are present in the human
body, ranging from highly acidic gastric acids
to skin to blood Like tums, a base that is
intended to help neutralize stomach acids of
other interest.
In line with this, the evaluation of acid,
bases, and pH plays an important role in our
daily lives, which will significantly enable us to
achieve sustainability and protection.
This experiment will allow us to understand
the basic definition of acids and bases. It is also
one of the keys to recognizing the various
acidity levels of household products and how
this occurred. This can be a starting point for
further studies into understanding the chemical
structure of other compounds.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
This study will be conducted to see
whether the materials found in the house is
either acids or bases.
Specifically, it will seek an answer to the
following questions :
1. How did the results from the red
cabbage pH indicator compare to the pH
indicator strips?
1.1 based on color
1.2 based on pH value
2. Why is understanding the pH value of
liquids is essential ?
1.4 Scope and Limitation
This experiment focuses only on the pH
indicator method to see how red cabbage
extracts change color when combined with a
material. The report only uses 10 different
liquids that are typically present in the house to
see if there is a difference in pH values between
each other. The experiment will not go beyond
further research.
2 Materials and Methodology
This experiment must be carried out through
various liquids and processes in order to
achieve the objectives of this study. mRed
cabbage extracts would be stain clothes and
fabrics. Be sure to protect the area in which you
work with plastic or newspaper. Hand stains
and skin is washed away with warm water and
soap. This experiment involves analyzing
certain potentially toxic household chemicals.
2.1 Materials
The materials needed are the following :One
small head of red cabbage, Large measuring
cup, Blender, Chopping knife, Strainer Coffee
filters, 2 large glass bowls, Glass or plastic jar ,
Eye dropper and the 10 Household products to
test pH.
2.2 Method/ Procedure
1. Begin by chopping the red cabbage into
small pieces until you have about 1 cup
of the chopped cabbage.
2. Put the cabbage into the blender with
about 1½ cups of water. Blend the water
and cabbage until finely chopped.
3. Place a strainer into a glass bowl and
pour some of the cabbage mixture into
the strainer. Allow the liquid to separate
from the cabbage. The solid cabbage can
be thrown away. Repeat until all of the
liquid is separated from the cabbage.
4. Store your red cabbage indicator in a
labeled, sealed jar until you are ready to
use it.
Making your pH paper
1. Cut several coffee filters into 2 x 6 cm
strips. Place the strips onto several
sheets of paper towel.
2. Using an eyedropper or turkey baster,
place a few drops of the red cabbage
indicator onto the coffee filter strips in
2
ENCHEM1L - Assessing Acid and Bases at home with a Red Cabbage PH indicator

order to cover the strips and allow the

pieces to dry before moving onto the
next part. Do not drench the strips
because they will take too long to dry.
Table 1. Observation of the pH level of household
materials

Household Acidic or
Color pH value
Materials Bases

Liquid 1

Liquid 2

Liquid 3

References

Aizenberg, J. (2000). Patterned crystallization of

calcite in vivo and in vitro. Journal of
Crystal Growth(211), 143-148.
Buddies, S. (2012, January 26). Cabbage
Chemistry- Finding Acids and Bases.
Retrieved from Bring Science Home.
Knott, D. L. (2020, April 14). Antacids. Retrieved
from Patient: https://patient.info/digestive-
health/indigestion-medication/antacids
Peirce, J. J. (1998). Measurement of Water Quality.
Environmental Pollution and Control
(Fourth Edition).
Sur1, F. N., & Sur2, F. M. (2015). Title of the Book.
Quezon: UP Press.
Tunesi, L. (2019, November 13). What are acids
and bases? Retrieved from Science news
for Students:
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/arti
cle/explainer-what-are-acids-and-bases