Natural Indicators Chemists use indicators to test whether a substance is an acid or a base.

Indicators work by turning a distinctive color in the presence of an acid or a base. You can make your own indicator from red cabbage, beets, or grape juice. Procedure 1. 2. 1. Chop red cabbage up finely. Boil a pint of water in a saucepan. 2. Add the red cabbage carefully to the boiling water and take the saucepan off the heat. Let it stand for 30 minutes until it is completely cool. 3. Strain the liquid in a jar, and throw away the used cabbage. The liquid should be a dark reddish purple color. Add alcohol to reduce the spoilage of the indicator. Use a 1 to 5 ratio of alcohol to volume of water. 4. The color will change when you add acids or bases. To test a substance, pour a little of your substance into a small jar. Then add a drop or two of the cabbage juice indicator. A change in color indicates its acidity or basicity. See the following chart which shows the pH when the indicator changes color. Colors of Red Cabbage Juice and Different pH values
color pH red rose 1 2 3 4 5 ACID purple blue green yellow 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 neutral BASE

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5. You must choose 10 household items (liquids only) to test the pH of. Some recommended household items include baking soda, bathroom cleaner, washing soda, vinegar, lemon, milk, cream of tartar, orange juice, shampoo, coffee, tea, milk of magnesia, lime, soft drinks, and ammonia. 6. Complete a table, identifying the substance (including brand if applicable), color it turned the indicator, approximate pH from the pH scale above, and whether it is acidic or basic.

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7. Cut a small beet into pieces. Boil a pint of water in a saucepan. 8. Add the pieces of beet carefully to the boiling water and take the saucepan off the heat. Let it stand for 30 minutes until it is completely cool. 9. Strain the liquid in a jar, and throw away the used beets.

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10. Test the SAME household products with the beet juice that you tested with the cabbage juice. 11. Create a figure like the one above (entitled "Colors of Red Cabbage Juice and Different pH values") that indicates the pH when the indicator changes color. Note: the colors you observe may not be the same as for cabbage juice. 12. Complete a table such as the one above, identifying the substance (including brand if applicable), color it turned the indicator, approximate pH from the pH scale you created, and whether it is acidic or basic. 13. Use grape juice as is and test the SAME household products. 14. Create a figure like the one above (entitled "Colors of Red Cabbage Juice and Different pH values") that indicates the pH when the indicator changes color. Note: the colors you observe may not be the same as for cabbage juice or beet juice. 15. Complete a table such as the one above, identifying the substance (including brand if applicable), color it turned the indicator, approximate pH from the pH scale you created, and whether it is acidic or basic. 16. Test the same household products you used with blue and red litmus paper. 17. Complete a table, identifying the substance (including brand if applicable), color it turned the indicator, approximate pH from the pH scale you created, and whether it is acidic or basic.

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QUESTIONS: 1. Explain the meaning of the following terms: a. b. c. a. acid- a substance that dissolves in water and donates a hydrogen ion, or proton, to water. b. base - a substance that accepts a proton. c. indicator - either a weak acid or weak base that exhibits a color change as the concentration of hydrogen or hydroxide ions changes in an aqueous solution d. natural indicator- examples of indicators like red cabbage juice and lemon juice. 2. In laboratory settings, synthetic indicators, indicators which are manmade, are often used. They are chemical substances. Discuss three advantages you think a synthetic indicator would have over a natural indicator. Discuss three advantages you think a natural indicator would have over a synthetic indicator.

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A synthetic indicator is more of a controlled substance. The amounts can be measured more accurately and in the lab setting, controlled substances are crucial for consistency. An advantage to using a natural indicator is that if a synthetic indicator is not used properly, or the results you were expecting to get do not come out correct, a natural indicator is a sure fire way to tell the true results. 3. Three bottles are found with different liquids. The first one turns a cabbage juice indicator blue, the second turns a cabbage juice indicator green, and the third turns a cabbage juice indicator rose. List the bottles in increasing order of acidity and assign a possible pH value to each. Rose (5) - Blue (8.5) - Green (10.5) 4. Which do you think is more accuratea natural indicator or litmus paper? Litmus paper is more accurate. 5. Discuss your results using cabbage juice, beet juice, and grape juice. Which work(s) best? Which work(s) worst? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? 6. In an earlier lab, you used a pH meter to test for pH. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a nautral indicator versus a pH meter.

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Make sure to include figures like the one for red cabbage provided (Colors of Red Cabbage Juice and Different pH values) but for grape juice and beet juice.