SNC2D ACIDS AND BASES

Slurp Juice Lab Name:

Acid and Base Indicators

Acid - Base indicators (also known as pH indicators) are substances which change
color with pH. Red cabbage contains an indicator pigment molecule called flavin,
which is one type of molecule called an anthocyanin.

Experiment
You will be making your own indicator using a red cabbage to determine whether
common household items are an acid or base.

Materials
● 3-4 leaves of red cabbage
● Blender (you can boil it if you don’t own a blender)
● Camera
● 8 Household items (must be liquid or dissolvable in liquid)
● Tap water
● 1 large glass
● 1 small glass
● Strainer

Procedure

1. Peel off three or four big cabbage leaves and put them in a blender filled one-
half full with water. Blend the mixture on high until you have purple cabbage
juice.
a. If you do not own a blender take the leaves and put them in a pot and
boil the leaves for 10 ot until the purple colour comes out of the leaves.
2. Pour the purplish cabbage liquid through a strainer into the large glass to filter
out all of the big chunks of cabbage.
a. Take a photo of the liquid and this will serve as neutral on your pH
scale. FOR BEST RESULTS take a photo on a white sheet of paper.
3. Find 8 household items to be tested. These items should be liquids or be able
to be dissolved in liquid.
Examples: Cleaning products such as windex and laundry detergent
OR liquids such as orange juice and baking soda in water
4. Pour a bit of cabbage indicator into a small glass cup.
5. Add your first house household item into the glass.
6. Observe the reaction and record your observations.
7. Take a picture of your reaction on a white sheet of paper.
8. Dispose of the solution (this is all drain friendly).
9. Repeat steps 4 - 8 for your list of household items.
10. Look up the approximate number pH of your household item and create a
table of pH (see example below)
 SNC2D ACIDS AND BASES
Slurp Juice Lab Name:

Observations (SAMPLE)

Table 1 - Acid and Bases

Bleach Baking Orange Vinegar Laundry Tap Water Toilet bowl HCl
Soda Juice Detergent cleaner

Clear, Clear but Opaque, Clear Light Blue, Clear Blue, Clear
slightly Foggy Bright foggy, clear Translucent
yellow yellow

Table 2 - pH Scale
Picture 1.0p 1-3 Vineg Oran cabbage Tap Bakin Laund Bleac Picture
H toilet ar 2-3 ge indicator water g soda ry h 12- Highest
Lowest bowl juice (Neutral 6-8.5 8.4 deterg 13 pH
pH Hydroc
hloric
clean 3.3- 7pH) ent 9
ACID er 4.2
Give
approx
. pH
level

You will be using all of your pictures to create a pH scale. Slot each picture in the order of Most
acidic to most Basic.