Name: __Hailey Wood__ Date: _10/22/2021_

Student Exploration: pH Analysis

Vocabulary: acid, acidic, alkaline, base, indicator, neutral, pH

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. Acids are substances that produce hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water. Lemon
juice is an example of an acid.

A. What does lemon juice taste like? _____Lemon juice tastes sour. ______

B. What does it feel like if lemon juice gets in your eye? _______When you get lemon
juice in your eye it burns.________

2. Bases are substances that produce hydroxide ions (OH-) when dissolved in water. Hand
soap is an example of a base.

A. What does soap feel like? _______Soap feels sticky._________

B. What does soap taste like? _________Soap tastes bitter._________

C. What does it feel like if soap gets in your eye? _______If soap gets into your eye it
burns.________

Gizmo Warm-up
The strength of an acid or base is measured on the pH scale.
The term “pH” is short for “potential of hydrogen.” It is a measure
of how many excess H+ ions there are in a solution. The pH scale
runs from 0 to 14, with 0 representing the highest concentration
of hydrogen ions. Acidic substances have a pH below 7, while
alkaline substances (bases) have a pH above 7. Pure water has
a pH of 7 and is considered neutral.

The pH Analysis Gizmo allows you to find the pH of a variety of

liquids. In the Gizmo, check that the Substance in the tube is
Ammonia, and click Test. Wait until the animation is finished.

1. Indicators change color in acids or bases. What is the color of the pH paper? _____A dark
blue.______

2. Compare the paper to the pH color chart. What is the pH of ammonia? ___11___

3. Is ammonia acidic or alkaline? _____Alkaline______

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
 Click Reset.
Measuring pH
 Check that the 0-14 paper is selected.

Goal: Find the pH of 18 common substances.

1. Test: Use the Gizmo to find the pH of each of the available substances. Classify each
substance as acidic (pH < 7), alkaline (ph > 7), or neutral (pH = 7).

0-14 pH indicator paper

Material in the tube pH value Acidic, alkaline, or neutral?
Baking soda 8 Alkaline
Bleach 11 Alkaline
Coffee 5 Acidic
Cola 2 Acidic
Drain cleaner 13 Alkaline
Hand soap 9 Alkaline
Juice (lemon) 2 Acidic
Juice (orange) 3 Acidic
Juice (tomato) 5 Acidic
Milk 7 Neutral
Milk of magnesia 10 Alkaline
Oven cleaner 13 Alkaline
Saliva (human) 6 Acidic
Shampoo 6 Acidic
Stomach acid 1 Acidic
Vinegar 4 Acidic
Water (distilled) 7 Neutral
Water (ocean) 8 Alkaline

2. Summarize: Compare all the acidic substances and all the alkaline substances.

A. In general, what types of substances tend to be acidic? ____Juices and acids tend to
be acidic.________

B. What types of substances tend to be alkaline? ________Cleaning supplies and

soaps tend to be alkaline._________

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
 Click Reset.
More accurate pH
 Select the 4.5-7.5 paper.

Goal: Find the pH of substances in a more accurate way.

1. Test: Before you begin testing with the 4.5-7.5 paper, list the pH values of the substances
below that you found using the 0-14 pH indicator paper. Then find the pH of each substance
with the 4.5-7.5 paper.

4.5-7.5 pH indicator paper

Material in the tube pH value (0 to 14 paper) pH value (4.5 to 7.5 paper)
Coffee 5 5
Milk 7 6.5
Oven cleaner 13 7.5
Saliva (human) 6 6.5
Shampoo 6 7
Stomach acid 1 4.5
Water (distilled) 8 7

2. Analyze: Compare the pH values in each column.

A. How do these values compare? _______The values and very similar to each
other._____________

B. What is an advantage of using the 4.5-7.5 paper? __________The 4.5-7.5 paper has
a smaller acidic and alkaline range.__________

C. What is a disadvantage of using the 4.5-7.5 paper? ________A disadvantage of

using 4.5-7.5 paper is that the range is not very broad and is too small for some of
the amounts.________

D. Given the results from two kinds of indicator paper, which substances appear to be

neutral (pH = 7)? ___________The substances milk, distilled water, and shampoo

appear to be neutral._____________

2019