Acids and Bases: Cabbage Juice pH Indicator

Teacher Version

Key Concepts:
 pH is the measure of basicity or acidity of a solution.
 pH refers to “potential Hydrogen” or the “power of Hydrogen” as a solution’s pH is
determined by its concentration of specific ions.
 Ions are negatively or positively charged atoms. If a solution contains extra hydrogen
ions (H+), it is acidic. If a solution contains extra hydroxyl ions (OH-), the solution is
basic or alkaline.
 The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14 where 1 to 6.9 is classified as acidic, 7.0 is neutral
(neither a base or an acid) and 7.1 to 14 is classified as basic.
 When a solution is neutral (pH 7.0), there is an equal concentration between H+ ions and
OH- ions.
 As pH numbers approach 1, the stronger the acid, whereas pH numbers approach 14, the
stronger the base.

Introduction:
Liquids all around us have either acidic or basic (alkaline) properties. For example, acids taste
sour; while, bases taste bitter and feel slippery. However, both strong acids and strong bases can
be very dangerous and burn your skin, so it is important to be very careful when using such
chemicals. In order to measure how acidic or basic a liquid is one must use the pH scale as
illustrated below:

http://www.pullouttheplug.co.uk/.../ ph-scale.gif

In this lab, students will use the juice from red cabbage as a pH indicator to
test common household liquids and determine their pH levels. You will mix
cabbage juice with different household liquids and see a color change
produced by a pigment called flavin (an anthocyanin) in red cabbage.
Through this color change, you will be able to successfully identify the
approximate pH of common household liquids using the table below:
Color: Pink Dark Violet Blue Blue- Green-
Red Green Yellow
Approx. 1-2 3-4 5-7 8 9-10 11-12
pH
Acid/Base Acid Acid Acid/Neutral Base Base Base

Strength increases at extremes of this scale.

Cutting the cabbage:
1. Cut ¼ of a cabbage into thin strips like shown below:

2. Place the cut cabbage into a Ziploc bag. Note: Keep the red cabbage refrigerated.

Materials:
 Pre-cut cabbage
 Blender
 Strainer
 Large container
 1liter beaker
 7 plastic cups
 7 plastic spoons
 Lemon soda
 White vinegar
 Apple juice
 Baking soda
 Shampoo (preferably clear)
 Conditioner (preferably clear)
  Hand sanitizer

Pre-Lab Questions
Look at each of the liquids being tested. Predict whether each of the substances is acidic, neutral
or basic. Circle one. (Think about the properties of acids and bases.)

Hand Sanitizer Acidic Neutral Basic

Lemon Soda Acidic Neutral Basic

Apple Juice Acidic Neutral Basic

White Vinegar Acidic Neutral Basic

Baking Soda Acidic Neutral Basic

Shampoo Acidic Neutral Basic

Conditioner Acidic Neutral Basic

Part 1: Preparing the Cabbage Juice

Preparing the Cabbage Juice:

1. Put the red cabbage leaves into the blender with 800mL of water.

2. Close the top and let it blend at high power for 30 seconds.

3. Once it is blended, filter out the leaves inside the mixture with the strainer and pour the
mixture into a large container.
*This should provide you with 600-800 ml of cabbage juice.

Part 2: Mixing the Cabbage Juice

4. Label each cup with each of the liquids. (Example: vinegar, apple juice, etc.)

5. Pour 100 ml of each individual liquid into its respective cup (except for baking soda).

6. For baking soda, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda into 100 ml water.

Example:

7. Pour 50 ml of cabbage juice into each of the cups. Do this one at a time and record the
color change below:

Liquid: Color Change/pH Actual pH

Hand Sanitizer Purple ~7

Lemon Soda Pink 2

Apple Juice Pink/Red 3

White Vinegar Red 4

Baking Soda Blue 8

Shampoo Magenta 5.5

 Conditioner Blue ~ 7 or 8

Now look up the actual pH of each of the substances and see how accurate the cabbage juice
indicator was!

How did your reasoning for your predictions change after seeing the approximate pH level?

Student answers will vary.

8. Categorize your results below:

Strong Acids Weak Acids Neutral Weak Bases Strong Bases

Lemon Soda White Vinegar Hand Sanitizer Baking Soda None

Apple Juice Shampoo

Now add 10 tablespoons more of baking soda into a new cup.

Does the color intensity of the liquid change? If so, how and why do you think this is?
Adding more baking soda to the water changes the intensity of the color blue. In this case,
the liquid becomes a dimmer blue. This is because the pH scale is logarithmic, meaning that
a difference in 1 unit of pH is a 10X difference in concentration. A 2-unit difference is a
100X difference in concentration and a 3-unit difference is a
1000X difference in concentration.

Concept Questions:
1. Does the addition of water (baking soda + water) alter the pH of weak acids/bases? How
does it change the pH of strong acids/bases? Why or why not?

The addition of water does not have a large impact on the pH of strong acids/bases, but it
does have a large impact on weak acids/bases. This is because the hydrogen ions in water
add the concentration of hydrogen ions in acids/bases. Because weak acids/bases have low
concentration of hydrogen ions, the addition of water has a large impact on the pH.

2. How does a difference in 1 pH unit change in terms of H+ concentration? Example: How

does a pH of 3 differ from pH of 4? Which one is stronger or weaker? Why?

A difference in 1 unit is a 10X difference in concentration For example; a liquid with pH of

3 is 10X more acidic than a liquid with a pH of 4. Therefore, a liquid with a pH of 3 is
stronger.

3. Look at the ingredients for each liquid you tested. Which ingredients contribute to each
of the liquid’s pH level?

Lemon Soda=citric acid

White Vinegar=acetic acid
Apple Juice=ascorbic acid
Shampoo=citric acid
Conditioner=sodium carbonate
Baking Soda=sodium bicarbonate

Real Life Applications:

1. Neutralization: Whenever you mix an acid with a base, they neutralize each other. If this
is the case, why is Alka-Seltzer used to treat stomach aches? (Note: excess stomach acids
cause stomach aches)

The excess stomach acid is neutralized with a base (Alka-Seltzer). A neutralization reaction
always produces salt and water.

2. What is acid rain and how does it negatively impact oceans, rivers, lakes, and other
natural environments?

Acid rain is rain that is slightly acidic due to pollution in the air. Acid rain greatly affects
the ecosystems of oceans, rivers, and lakes because once the water becomes too acidic
certain fish start to die. Not only is acid rain, fog, or snow dangerous to sea life but also to
human’s respiratory system as well.
References:
Acids and Bases: http://www.chem4kids.com/files/react_acidbase.html
Red Cabbage Juice Lab: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_MickiHR/AcidsandBases-