PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

EXPERIMENT 3: ACID-BASE INDICATORS

I. OBJECTIVES
- To determine the approximate pH of waters under different samples, the first sample is
tap water, the second is distilled water, and the last is boiled distilled water.
- To determine the pH of a soil sample.

II. THEORY ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT

Bromthymol blue is one way to determine the pH level. Bromthymol blue ranges from bright
yellow at low pH to shades of green at immediate pH to deep blue at high pH (The President
and Fellow of Harvard College, 2022). This indicator determines the pH level of the samples in
this experiment.

According to (Cirino, 2019), the pH level of tap water varies. However, it is usually ranging from
7.5. In distilled water, "pure distilled water," as stated by (Johnson, 2019), is in the middle of
the scale, with a neutral pH of 7. Distilled water is steam, or the water vapor acquired when
boiling tap water. Furthermore, boiling water or increasing the temperature of the water will
slightly decrease the pH level of the water (Gillespie, 2018). It is further explained by Le
Chatelier's Principle, which is mentioned (Gillespie, 2018):

Changing the temperature is one approach to affecting the condition of a

chemical reaction. Applying this to water temperature and pH level, raising the
water temperature causes the equilibrium to reduce temperature once more,
resulting in additional heat absorption. More hydrogen and hydroxide ions are
produced; as a result, decreasing the water's acidity.

III. FLOWCHART OF THE PROCEDURE

 TESTING THE Ph OF WATER

1 mL tap 1 mL distilled 1 mL boiled 2 drops of Determine the

water in a test water in a test distilled water bromthymol approximate
tube tube in a test tube blue pH

DETERMINATION OF THE pH OF SOIL SAMPLE

4g soil in a 10 mL filter and

large test distilled shake 3 mins save the 1 mL filtrate
tube water filtrate

determine if it's
2 drops if turbid, add acidic, use basic, use phenol
acidic, neutral or
bromthymol blue drops bromcresol purple red
basic

IV. RESULTS

I. LIST OF INDICATORS TABLE

pH range in w/c color change

Indicator Color Change
takes place
Bromthymol blue Yellow to blue 6.0-7.6

II. TESTING THE pH of the water

Samples Color Change Approximate pH of the sample

Tap water Dark Blue 7.5
Distilled Water Green 6.7
Boiled Distilled Water Blue Green 7.0
 III. DETERMINATION OF THE Ph OF A SOIL SAMPLE

Sample Color Change Observation

Soil sample Light Blue The soil exhibited light blue
color, which is neutral
according to the pH range
based on color.

V. CONCLUSION

By the end of the experiment, it is concluded then:

- The pH level of tap water, distilled water, and boiled distilled water is 7.5, 6.7, and 7.0,
respectively; and
- The pH level of the soil sample is neutral as it exhibits a light green color.

VI. REFERENCES

Cirino, E. (2019, March 29). Healthline. Retrieved from What pH Should My Drinking Water Be?:
https://www.healthline.com/health/ph-of-drinking-water

Gillespie, C. (2018, April 26). The Effects of Temperature on the pH of water. Retrieved from
Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/effects-temperature-ph-water-6837207.html

Johnson, J. (2019, December 2). The pH of water: What to know. Retrieved from
MedicalNewsToday: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327185

The President and Fellow of Harvard College. (2022, January 10). LabXchange. Retrieved from
Depending on pH, Bromothymol Blue Displays a Range of Different Colors:
https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:LabXchange:bdf54ec1:html:1#:~:text=The
%20pH%20indicator%20bromothymol%20blue%20exists%20in%20a%20range%20of,pH
%20between%206%20and%208.