Holy Spirit Academy of Malolos

Bagong Bayan, City of Malolos, Bulacan

S.Y. 2018 – 2019

Indicator Test
Laboratory Activity

Members:

Julienne Francia
Raphael Dela Cruz
Reinne Avendano
Jhoriz Porcuncula

Rubric:

Introduction-
Results-
Analysis-
Mechanics-
I. Introduction
Acid is known to be a chemical substance that donates a hydrogen ion and bases are the ones
who accept the hydrogen ions. According to Arrhenius when acid reacts in an aqueous solution, the
concentration of the hydrogen ion increases. However the concentration of hydroxide ion decreases in an
aqueous solution when it comes to bases. The acidity of a substance is measured by the presence of
hydrogen ions. A particular substance can be considered as a strong acid when it completely dissociate in
the water and a substance will be considered as a weak acid when the substance partly dissociates in
water. In the other hand, bases is said to be a chemical substance that the exact opposite of an acid. An
abrupt change in color occurs to the acid-base indicators when it is mixed in an acid or a base because
these indicators will have protons that will either be added or removed to them depending on the pH level.
The pH level of a substance varies on the change in the hydronium concentration. The pH level will
decrease when the hydronium concentration increases in which it makes the solution to be more acidic.
Likewise, when there is an increase in the pH level then the hydronium concentration decreases, resulting
for the substance to be basic. H+ concentration shifts away from neutral when an acid or base is added to
an aqueous (water-based) solution. An acid is a substance that increases the concentration of hydrogen
ions H+ in a solution by donating one of its hydrogen atoms through dissociation. A base, in contrast,
raises pH by providing hydroxide OH- or another ion or molecule that scoops up hydrogen ions and
removes them from solution. If the hydronium concentration increases, the pH decreases, causing the
solution to become more acidic. This happens when an acid is introduced. As H+ ions dissociate from the
acid and bond with water, they form hydronium ions, thus increasing the hydronium concentration of the
solution.

II. Objectives
 To determine whether the natural indicator such as the red cabbage, Guava leaves, and saba banana
peel is an acidic or a basic substance.
 To observe the changes in terms of color when the natural indicator is mixed with an acid and a base.
 To arrange the substances according to the lightness and darkness of the resulted substances those
were mixed with an acid and a base to create a color scale.

III. Materials and Procedures

Proper Attire:
Materials:
 red cabbage (indicator)  Safety Goggles
 saba banana peels (indicator)
 Gloves
 guava leaves (indicator)
 coke (acid)  Face mask
 vinegar (acid)  Lab gown
 baking soda (base)
 detergent (base)
 25 cups
 distilled water
1. Choose your indicators, it can be Red cabbage, onion, saba banana peels, colored leaves of
plants, guava leaves etc.
2. Boil your choice of natural indicator in a 1:1 ratio. One (1) cup of your indicator and one (1)
cup of water. Use low heat; boil for five (5) minutes. Let it cool. Get the liquid and transfer it in
a clean container.
3. Then separate your chosen indicators into two (2) cups, it should be equal. Leave another one
(1) cup for testing other acid and bases.
4. Using a dropper, add Sodium Hydroxide Solution on the first cup and Hydrochloric Acid on the
second. Add it on the same time. Then observe.
5. After testing your indicators with strong acid and base you added on number 4, separately put
your chosen acids and bases you brought on different cups. Such as Vinegars, soft drinks,
detergent, baking soda, etc.
6. Separate your bases from your acids.
7. Align your acids in a row and your bases.
8. Add your indicators in your acids and observe.
9. Add your indicators in your bases and observe.
10. You will now see the difference in colors. Arrange it by color just like the colors in a pH meter.
11. If there is a malfunction in color, try to use pH test strips to check the pH scale of the acid or
base.
IV. Analysis

a) The bases that were used are Baking Soda and Laundry Detergent both in powdered form and
dissolved in water. Baking soda’s scientific name is Sodium Bicarbonate and is an odorless, white
crystalline solid or fine powder and it has a slightly alkaline taste. Sodium bicarbonate is an
amphoteric compounds, it means the compound acts as an acid and base at the same time. It is
highly soluble in water, resulting in a slightly alkaline solution. Laundry Detergent on the other hand is
amphiphilic and its dual nature affects its solubility in water. Detergents are classified into three broad
groupings, depending on the electrical charge of the surfactants namely anionic detergents, Cationic
detergents, and Non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents. For the acids Coke and Vinegar was used. Coke
or also known as cola extract is a canonicalized compound. Vinegar is a dilute aqueous solution
comprised of acetic acid and water. It undergoes several processes, including alcohol fermentation
and acid fermentation, to assume its natural state.

b) Our natural indicators were red cabbage and guava leaves. Red cabbage contains a water-soluble
pigment called anthocyanin that changes color when it is mixed with an acid or a base. The pigment
turns red in acidic environments with a pH less than 7 and the pigment turns bluish-green in alkaline
environments with a pH greater than 7 so it serves well as a natural indicator because the change is
very visible. Guava leaves on the other hand contain vitamin C, carotenoids and phenolic compounds.
Traditionally guava is used for the treatment of various ailments like diarrhea wounds, rheumatism,
lung problems, ulcers etc.

c) When we put in the more basic substance in the red cabbage extract it turned into a dark blue color
compared to greenish color on a weaker base. When the acids were put in it turned red from violet
and the more acid we put in the more red it became.

d) Strong acids react completely with water to form H 3O+ whereas weak acids dissociate only partially
in water. Strong bases have a high concentration of OH- ions.

e) Protons, as positively charged hydrogen ions, move very rapidly in water from one water molecule to
the next, which is why the conductivity of water is relatively high. It is based on the assumption that
it is not that a single specific proton moving from one molecule to another; instead, there is cleavage
of bonds.

f) Weak acid which dissociates in water forming magenta anions. Under acidic conditions, the equilibrium
is to the left, and the concentration of the anions is too low for the color to be observed. However,
under alkaline conditions, the equilibrium is to the right, and the concentration of the anion becomes
sufficient for color to be observed.

V. Presentation of the results

VI. Conclusion
Based on the results obtained from the analysis and the pH parameter, it was concluded that
the color change produced by natural indicators was due to the added acids and bases. Among the three
(3) indicators we used, the red cabbage indicator has the most accurate result to make a self-made pH
scale. The scientific explanation for this is that red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an
anthocyanin). A very acidic solution turns anthocyanin into a red color; this has been proven to
hydrochloric acid solution with a pH level of 0. While neutral solutions result in a purple color and basic
solutions appear in greenish color. This proves that it is possible to determine the pH of a solution based
on the color that turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice. The juice color changes in response
to changes in its concentration of hydrogen ions. The saba banana peels and guava leaves indicators were
not that accurate so we used the pH test strips to order the cups on their pH level.

VII. Bibliography
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Map%3A_Fundamentals_of_General
_Organic_and_Biological_Chemistry_(McMurry_et_al.)/10%3A_Acids_and_Bases/10.01%3A_Acids_an
d_Bases_in_Aqueous_Solution
 https://biodifferences.com/difference-between-acid-and-base.html
 http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/abindic.html

 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130723113616.htm

 https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Mountain_View_College/MVC_Chem_1411%3A_GENERAL_CHEMI
STRY_I/Chapters/04._Reactions_in_Aqueous_Solution/4.3%3A_Acid-Base_Reactions

 http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/abindic.html

 making-a-ph-indicator-lab.pdf
 Member Contribution Table
Member During the Experimentation Writing the Laboratory Report
1. Julienne Francia  Brought the red cabbage  Edited and printed the
juice, saba banana peels, and laboratory paper
cups  Wrote the conclusion part
 Documentation  Wrote the citations
 Tested the acids  Made the presentation of
 Tested the hydrocholoric acid results
and sodium hydroxide
solution for saba banana
peels
 Cleaned the table
2. Raphael Dela Cruz  Brought the detergent,  Wrote the analysis part
baking soda, and cups  Researched
 Documentation  Wrote the citations
 Tested the bases  Edited grammars
 Tested the hydrocholoric acid
and sodium hydroxide
solution for red cabbage
 Dilluted the detergent
 Tested the pH level of coke
 Cleaned the cups
3. Reinne Avendano  Brought the guava leaves  Wrote the introduction
and distilled water  Wrote objectives
 Arrange the order for  Edited grammars
indicators
 Tested the hydrocholoric acid
and sodium hydroxide
solution for guava leaves
 Cleaned the table
4. Jhoriz Porcuncula  Brought the vinegar and coke  Wrote the introduction
 Documentation  Wrote the procedures
 Arranged the order for the  Edited grammars
indicators
 Dilluted the baking soda
 Tested the pH level of
vinegar
 Cleaned and throw the cups