CHEMISTRY PROJECT

NAME: RUCHITA MAARAN

TEAMMATE: ASHVIKA DEVANAND
CLASS: XII-F
ROLL NO: 12F10
YEAR: 2022-23
PROJECT: RED CABBAGE PH PAPER AND
INVISIBLE INK: MODELING A MOLECULAR
SWITCH
SCHOOL: CHENNAI PUBLIC SCHOOL
 RED CABBAGE PH PAPER
ABSTRACT:
Some of the most important kinds of chemicals in science are acids and
bases. Although you may not realize it, you use acids and bases in your
home every day. You can recognize an acid because it makes food and
drinks taste sour. If you have ever tasted something chalky or ever felt a
liquid that feels slippery like soap, those substances are probably bases.
One way to test if a substance is an acid or base is to test its pH. pH is
the scale used in science to rate acids and bases. The scale is numbered
from 1 – 12. Acids have a pH between 1 and 6.
Bases have a pH between 8 and 12. If your pH is at 7, that means the
substance is neutral, and it is neither an acid nor a base. Just like we use
a temperature scale on a thermometer 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 use pH paper, which is a piece of
paper with a chemical on it that will change colors if it is mixed with
acids or bases.
Some fruits and vegetables contain this special type of chemical. One
example is red cabbage. In this activity you will learn how to make your
own pH paper using juice from red cabbage. Once you make your red
cabbage juice, you will want to know how to use it. If the color of your
red cabbage juice is a purple color, then you know that the pH of your
solution should be around 7, which means that your solution is neutral.
When you first make the red cabbage juice, the liquid should be this
color. When you begin to test the pH of other liquids, the juice will
change different colors if it is mixed with an acid or a base. Match the
colors you get while you are testing liquids to the chart below to see
what pH you have.

In this activity we will:

• Make red cabbage pH paper

• Use pH paper to test the pH of some common products around the house
to determine if they are acidic or basic.

MATERIALS:
• One small head of red cabbage

• Large glass measuring cup

• Blender
• Chopping knife
• Strainer
• Coffee filters
• 2 large glass bowls
• Glass or plastic jar with lid
• Eye dropper or turkey baster
• Household products to test pH (feel free to choose your own. Here are
some examples to get you started)
o Orange juice
o Vinegar
o Milk
o Soap
o Baking Soda
o Stomach antacids
o Lemon/Lime juice
o Window Cleaner (see safety notes below)
o Bleach (see safety notes below)
o Powdered laundry detergent
o Aspirin tablet
NOTE: TO TEST SOLIDS OR POWDERS WITH YOUR PH PAPER, YOU WILL FIRST
NEED TO DISSOLVE THEM IN A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER

SAFETY:
This activity requires the use of sharp cutting utensils. Use caution when
handling knives or a blender. Ask an adult to help you if necessary. Red
cabbage juice may stain clothes and fabrics. Be sure to protect the area you
are working in with plastic or newspaper. Stains on hands and skin will wash
off with warm water and soap. This activity involves testing some potentially
toxic household chemicals.

Always use household chemicals with adult supervision. NEVER mix

household cleaning products together. This may cause a dangerous reaction.
Always test each substance separately. Do not eat or drink any of the
substances after you have tested them. Dispose of any liquids separately in a
sink with plenty of water.

PREPARATION:
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.

PRE-ACTIVITY
Making your pH paper
1. Cut several coffee filters into 2 x 6 cm strips. Place the strips onto several
sheets of coffee filters or paper towel.
2. Using an eyedropper or turkey baster, place a few drops of the red cabbage
indicator onto the coffee filter strips in 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.

ACTIVITY:
1. Now you are ready to test different substances using your red cabbage
pH strips. First, choose a substance that you wish to test.
2. Using a clean dropper, add a couple drops of the substance to the red
cabbage pH paper. Do not dip the paper into the main container of your
substance. Also, do not add your substance to the main supply of your
red cabbage extract.
3. Record your results and throw away your pH strip.
4. Choose another substance to test and repeat steps 2 and 3.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY:
• Obtain Litmus paper from an aquarium supply store or anywhere
nearby. This is a different type of paper that measures pH.
• Test the same substances from the activity above with your litmus
paper. Compare the results. Of the two different types of paper, which
do you think works better and why? Obviously, Litmus paper because it
is slower than litmus paper, contaminates the solution, does not tell acid
strength, requires more solutions than litmus paper, and if the solution is
dark, the colour change is not visible.

CONCLUSION:
Acid, bases and pH are an extremely important part of science. Acids
and bases affect almost everything around us. In nature, pH plays an
important role in survival. For example, if we changed the pH of our
bodies by one level, it could kill us. The same goes for most other
animals and plants. The environment is also affected by pH. Pollution
can cause the pH of rain to be lowered. This is what people call acid
rain. Acid rain can ruin buildings and stone, as well as affect plant and
aquatic life. Manufacturers are also concerned with acids and bases
because they are used to make so many things, including cleaning
products and building materials.

REFERENCES:
1. http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa012803a.htm
2. http://chemistry.about.com/od/acidsbases/

INVISIBLE INK: MODELING A

MOLECULAR SWITCH
ABSTRACT:
Our vision is often described as a molecular switch. The word switch
probably makes you think of a light switch. In our eyes, the switch is
much smaller than a light switch; however, there is a reaction in our eyes
that works as a switch to turn “on” and “off” our vision. To begin this
explanation, we will talk about the source of this switch, a molecule
called retinal which is in all of our eyes. The retinal molecule responds
to light. As the light hits our eyes, retinal “switches on” our vision.
When we close our eyes or are in a very dark room with no light at all,
we are no longer able to see. However, the objects in the room are still
there even though we cannot see them. We will simulate this by using
invisible ink. Invisible ink cannot be seen by our eyes until we add a
special ingredient to make it visible.
Invisible inks are used to send secret messages. Secret messages are
hidden within an ordinary letter, and can be revealed by the receiver. A
secret message prevents other people from reading the message, or even
knowing it is there. A secret message should be used with a believable
normal message in order to hide the secret message (a blank piece of
paper would be suspicious!). Invisible inks can be used as a fun way to
communicate secretly with friends. An ideal invisible ink should be
easily made, hard to detect and easily and safely revealed. Invisible inks
are normally non-greasy and not visible under ultra violet light (a
common screening method for post). Commonly acids and bases are
used as invisible inks, and these are revealed by indicators.
Indicators are chemical compounds which are different colours when in
contact with either acids or bases. With acids, indicators generally turn
red, and with bases they generally turn a blue/green colour. In addition
to indicators, heat can also be used to reveal messages. A substance
applied to the paper that burns at a lower temperature than the paper and
so the message is revealed. In this practical, we will investigate making
up solutions and then using them to create your own secret messages!

MATERIALS:
• Baking Soda
• Paper
• Water
• Light Bulb (heat source)
• Paintbrush or Swab
• Measuring Cup
• Purple Grape Juice
• Paper
• Small Sponge

ACTIVITY:
Making the invisible ink:
1. There are at least two methods to use baking soda as an invisible ink.
Mix equal parts water and baking soda.
2. Use a cotton swab, toothpick, or paintbrush to write a message onto
white paper, using the baking soda solution as 'ink'.
3. Allow the ink to dry.
4. One way to read the message is to hold the paper up to a heat source,
such as a light bulb. The baking soda will cause the writing in the paper
to turn brown.
5. A second method to read the message is to paint over the paper with
purple grape juice. The message will appear in a different color.

TIPS:
1. If you are using the heating method, avoid igniting the paper - don't
use a halogen bulb.
2. Baking soda and grape juice react with each other in an acid-base
reaction, producing a color change in the paper.
3. The baking soda mixture can also be used more diluted, with one part
baking soda to two parts water.
4. Grape juice concentrate results in a more visible color change than
regular grape juice.

PROCEDURE:
1. Mix a small amount of water with cornstarch (use about 2 tablespoons
of cornstarch and 4 teaspoons of water) in the pan and stir until smooth.
2. Heat the mixture for several minutes. Stir. (heat each mixture
separately)
3. Dip a toothpick into the cornstarch and water mixture and write with
the mixture on paper. Let the paper dry.
4. To observe the message, dip the small sponge into the iodine solution
and carefully wipe the paper. Do not get the paper too wet. The message
should appear purple.

REFERENCES:
1. Sciencekids.com
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/invisibleink.html
2. Foster, K., Ghering, C., Light, M. and McCollum, M. (1999). Secret
methods and techniques – invisible ink. Retrieved 20 November, 2009
from, http://www.si.umich.edu/spies/methods-ink.html
3. Narasimhan, B. R. V., Prabhakar, S., Manohar, P. and Gnanam, F. D.
(2001). Synthesis of gamma ferric oxide by direct thermal
decomposition of ferrous carbonate. Retrieved 20 November, 2009 from,
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science

MORE INFORMATION
Q. What is an acid-base indicator?
An acid-base indicator is a pH indicator of a solution of several
compounds. Acid-base indicators are substances that determine
whether a solution is an acid or a base primarily based on
change in their characteristic colour or odour.
Q. How is an indicator used?
Weak acids are titrated in the presence of indicators which
change under slightly alkaline conditions. Weak bases should be
titrated in the presence of indicators which change under slightly
acidic conditions.
Q. What are some common acid-base indicators?
Several acid-base indicators are listed below, some more than
once if they can be used over multiple pH ranges. The quantity
of indicator in aqueous (aq.) or alcohol (alc.) solution is
specified. Tried-and-true indicators include thymol blue,
tropeolin OO, methyl yellow, methyl orange, bromphenol blue,
bromcresol green, methyl red, bromthymol blue, phenol red,
neutral red, phenolphthalein, thymolphthalein, alizarin yellow,
tropeolin O, nitramine, and trinitrobenzoic acid.
CONCLUSION:
In a nutshell, acid-base indicators are chemical compounds that
help determine whether a substance is acidic, basic, or neutral
in nature. Acidity and basicity are regarded as pH indicators
because they are related to pH. Natural indicators, synthetic or
artificial indicators, and olfactory indicators are all examples of
indicators. Litmus, turmeric, red cabbage, China rose, and
other natural acid-base indicators are examples. Artificial acid-
base indicators, on the other hand, include Phenolphthalein,
methyl orange, and others.
In acidic and basic media, they show a substantial colour
change that lets us determine the acidity or basicity. Acids turn
blue litmus red, while bases turn red litmus blue. As a result,
acid-base indicators are essential for detecting acidity or
alkalinity because we cannot taste all compounds to determine
whether they are acidic or basic.