To make red cabbage extract you cut a few leaves of red cabbage into small slices or

you can put them into a mixer.

Add a 50-70% alcohol water solution and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I recommend
to use real ethanol and not isopropyl alcohol if you do this experiment with children
where it is difficult to avoid that some get in contact with the alcohol. Both ethanol
and isopropyl-alcohol are toxic but ethanol is less toxic to humans. Isopropyl causes
kidney damages even if it is just used externally over a longer period of time. Short
exposure of a hand or the inhalation of the vapor for a few minutes is supposedly not
dangerous but ethanol is for sure less dangerous.
Separate the cabbage from the now dark colored alcohol solution by pressing it
through a cheese cloth and fill the red cabbage indicator solution into a small bottle
for storage.
To test the PH of any liquid just add a few drops of the red cabbage extract and then
compare the color with the following table.
Red cabbage extract PH indicator
ph 0-1 ph 2 ph 4 ph 5-8 ph 9 ph 10 ph 11-14

More stable PH indicators

Red cabbage is a very good PH indicator but is looses its ability to indicated the PH
over a couple of weeks or month depending on how you store the solution. More
stable PH indicators that can easily made at home are:

 Turmeric (the yellow part of Curry Powder) => very stable, usable for many
years
 Radish peels => somewhat stable, usable for a few month
 Elderberry => very stable, usable for many years, makes paper that is
equivalent to real litmus paper

Radish is similar to red cabbage in the sense that it can indicate the PH in many fine
grained steps where as Turmeric and Elderberry have just two colors.

Turmeric as PH indicators
Turmeric powder can be found in the spices section of you supermarket. It is as well
the yellow part of Curry Powder.

The best way to store turmeric over longer periods is to store it as powder. To use it
just mix a bit of powder with water.
Turmeric PH indicator
below ph 7.4 above ph 8.6

Radish peels as PH indicator

Home and Garden pH Indicators
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. 
Updated September 16, 2019

There are many common household products and garden plants that can be used
as pH indicators. Most plants contain pH-sensitive anthocyanins, making them
perfect for testing acid and base levels. Many of these natural pH
indicators exhibit a broad range of colors.

Plants You Can Use to Test pH Levels

The natural world has given us numerous plants, from beets to grapes to onions,
that can be used to test the pH levels of a solution. These natural pH indicators
include:

 Beets: A very basic solution (high pH) will change the color of beets or
beet juice from red to purple.
 Blackberries: Blackberries, black currants, and black raspberries change
from red in an acidic environment to blue or violet in a basic environment.
 Blueberries: Blueberries are blue around pH 2.8-3.2, but turn red as the
solution becomes even more acidic.
 Cherries: Cherries and their juice are red in an acidic solution, but they
turn blue to purple in a basic solution.
 Curry Powder: Curry contains the pigment curcumin, which changes
from yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.
 Delphinium Petals: The anthocyanin delphinidin changes from bluish-
red in an acidic solution to violet-blue in a basic solution.
 Geranium Petals: Geraniums contain the anthocyanin pelargonidin,
which changes from orange-red in an acidic solution to blue in a basic
solution.
 Grapes: Red and purple grapes contain multiple anthocyanins. Blue
grapes contain a monoglucoside of malvidin, which changes from deep red
in an acidic solution to violet in a basic solution.
 Horse Chestnut Leaves: Soak horse chestnut leaves in alcohol to extract
the fluorescent dye esculin. Esculin is colorless at pH 1.5 but becomes
fluorescent blue at pH 2. Get the best effect by shining a black light on the
indicator.
 Morning Glories: Morning glories contain a pigment known as
"heavenly blue anthocyanin," which changes from purplish-red at pH 6.6
to blue at pH 7.7.
 Onion: Onions are olfactory indicators. You don't smell onions in strongly
basic solutions. Red onion also changes from pale red in an acidic solution
to green in a basic solution.
 Petunia Petals: The anthocyanin petunin changes from reddish-purple
in an acidic solution to violet in a basic solution.
 Poison Primrose: Primula sinensis has orange or blue flowers. The
orange flowers contain a mixture of pelargonins. The blue flowers contain
malvin, which turns from red to purple as a solution goes from acidic to
basic.
 Purple Peonies: Peonin changes from reddish-purple or magenta in an
acidic solution to deep purple in a basic solution.
 Red (Purple) Cabbage: Red cabbage contains a mixture of pigments
used to indicate a wide pH range.
 Rose Petals: The oxonium salt of cyanin turns from red to blue in a basic
solution.
 Turmeric: This spice contains a yellow pigment, curcumin, which
changes from yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.
Household Chemicals That Are pH Indicators
If you don't have any of the materials above at hand, you can also use some
common household chemicals to test pH levels. These include:

 Baking Soda: Baking soda will fizz when added to an acidic solution such

as vinegar, but will not fizz in an alkaline solution. The reaction doesn't
readily reverse itself, so while baking soda can be used to test a solution, it
can't be reused.
 Color-Changing Lipstick: You'll need to test your color-changing
lipstick to determine its pH range, but most cosmetics that change color
respond to changes in pH (these are different from cosmetics that change
color according to the angle of light).
 ExLax Tablets: These tablets contain phenolphthalein, which is a pH
indicator that is colorless in solutions more acidic than pH 8.3 and pink to
deep red in solutions more basic than pH 9.
 Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is an olfactory indicator. You can't smell
the characteristic scent at high pHs because the molecule is in its ionic
form.
 Washing Soda: As with baking soda, washing soda fizzes in an acidic
solution but not in a basic solution.

Make Your Own Indicators

Polly Dornette
Product Developer
Testing the pH of a solution is a fundamental skill in
chemistry. Students typically test pH using a pH meter,
litmus or pH paper strips, or one of a variety of
commercial acid-base indicator solutions. Acid-base
indicators are weak organic acids that change color
depending on the pH of a solution. A wide variety of pH
indicators, such as phenolphthalein, methyl orange,
phenol red, and bromthymol blue, can be purchased.

Effective pH indicators can also be made at home or in

the classroom from items you probably already have in
your kitchen or garden. Anthocyanins are a class of
organic compounds found in many plants, fruits, and
flowers that are red, blue, or purple in color and
change color with pH. In this activity—a great
introduction to pH for elementary and middle school
students—you will extract anthocyanin pigment from plant material for use as a natural pH
indicator.

Safety
Most of the indicators used in this activity come from plant pigments and will stain skin
and clothing.

Materials (per class)

 Plant Material Containing Anthocyanins (red cabbage, blueberries or blackberries,
and purple grape juice)
 Lemon Juice, Vinegar, and Baking Soda Solution (known acids and bases for
testing)
 Light-Colored Liquids (unknowns for testing)
 Vegetable Peeler
 Grater
 Fork
 Strainer or Colander
 Small Cups or Beakers (to hold prepared indicators and solutions for testing)
 Small Pan
 Stove
 Disposable Pipets or Medicine Droppers

Preparation
1. If performing the activity at home, clean the space to be used for the activity with
household surface cleaner.
2. Gather materials.
3. Prepare the indicator solutions. For red cabbage: Add about ¼ cup of grated red
cabbage to 2 cups of water in a small pan. Heat the water to a boil until the water
turns purple. Strain the solution to remove any cabbage. For blueberries or
blackberries: Place 2 to 3 berries in a small bowl and mash with a fork to make a
paste, or use about a teaspoon of blueberry or blackberry jam. Add about 5 mL of
water and stir, then strain to remove any solids. For grape juice: Be sure to use
purple grape juice, as white grape juice will not work. The juice can be used as is
from its container.

Procedure
1. Place a few milliliters of a known acid in a small cup or beaker.
2. Add 1 or 2 drops of one of the prepared indicators.
3. Record any color changes.
4. Repeat the process using each of the indicators and known acids and bases to
determine the color changes for the prepared indicators in the presence of acids and
bases.
5. Place a few milliliters of a liquid with an unknown pH, such as a light-colored soft
drink, in a small cup or beaker.
6. Add 1 or 2 drops of one of the prepared indicators to the solution.
7. Record any color changes.
8. Use your observations to determine if the solution is an acid or base.

Conclusion
Students should find that most of the prepared indicators are red to purple in the presence
of an acid, violet to blue at a neutral pH, and turquoise to green in a basic solution. Have
students explore what other plant materials they can use as an indicator. A wide variety of
plant materials containing anthocyanins will work as pH indicators. Additionally, turmeric
(a spice) and some types of teas will also change colors in the presence of an acid or a
base.

You May Also Like

What are Natural Indicators?

Natural Indicator is a type of indicator that can be found naturally and

can determine whether the substance is an acidic substance or a basic
substance. Some examples of natural indicators are red cabbage,
turmeric, grape juice, turnip skin, curry powder, cherries, beetroots,
onion, tomato, etc.

Some flowers like hydrangeas can determine the acidity or basicity of

the soil. These flowers become blue if the soil is acidic, purple if the soil
is neutral and pink if the soil is basic. The intensity of the color depends
on the amount of acid or base present in the soil. Soil which is highly
acidic bears deep blue flowers, whereas soil which is highly basic yields
deep pink flowers.

These natural indicators are used to detect the hydrogen ions (H+) and

hydroxyl ions (OH-) in a solution. Olfactory indicators can change their
odor. Some examples of olfactory indicators are onion, vanilla extract,
clove oil, etc.

Browse more Topics under Acids Bases And Salts

 Acids and Bases

 Neutralization

Importance of Indicators
It is important to determine the nature of a substance because it is
essential in biology, chemistry, civil engineering, water purification,
agriculture, forestry, food science, environmental science, water
treatment, oceanography, medicine, nutrition, agronomy, etc.

Even litmus is extracted from lichens. It is a water-soluble mixture of

different dyes. It is then absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the
oldest forms of pH indicator, used to test materials for acidity or
basicity.

Experiment
Question For You

Q1. What is the pH value of seawater? Is it acidic, basic or neutral in nature?

a. less than two, it is highly acidic

b. more than ten, it is highly basic

c. between 7 – 8.5, it is neutral or slightly basic

d. between 5.5. – 7, it is neutral or slightly acidic

Ans. The correct answer is option ‘b’. The value of seawater is between 7 to 8.4. Ideally, the sea water is
neutral or slightly basic.

Q2. What is the pH level of the human body? Is it acidic, basic or neutral?

a.  Less than 7, acidic

b. 7, Neutral

c. More than 7, basic

d. None of the above

Ans: The pH value of a normal body is ideally 7.4 which is on the alkaline side of neutral and human blood is
usually between 7.35 to 7.45 and of human saliva is 7.5
 United Church of Christ in the Philippines
Gingoog Christian College
Gingoog City
estrerariza080472@gmail.com
Name:_____________________________ Course/year: _______________ Date: _____ Score:____
Activity No. 1
Title: Testing Acids and Bases Using Local indicators

Natural Indicator is a type of indicator that can be found naturally and can determine whether
the substance is an acidic substance or a basic substance. Some examples of natural indicators are red
cabbage, turmeric, grape juice, turnip skin, curry powder, cherries, beetroots, onion, tomato, etc.
Some flowers like hydrangeas can determine the acidity or basicity of the soil. These flowers
become blue if the soil is acidic, purple if the soil is neutral and pink if the soil is basic. The intensity of
the color depends on the amount of acid or base present in the soil. Soil which is highly acidic bears
deep blue flowers, whereas soil which is highly basic yields deep pink flowers.
These natural indicators are used to detect the hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxyl ions (OH-) in a
solution. Olfactory indicators can change their odor. Some examples of olfactory indicators are onion,
vanilla extract, clove oil, etc.

Objective: 
1. Prepare local acid and base indicators.
2. Test whether the substance is acid or base using local indicators.
Materials:
 Plant Material Containing Anthocyanins (hydrangeas (blue million flowers), rose flower,
camote tops, onion skin and turmeric (luyang dilaw)
 Lemon Juice, Vinegar, carbonated drinks, milk, dishwashing liquid and Baking Soda
 Vegetable Peeler
 Kitchen knife
 Grater
 Fork
 Strainer or Colander
 Small disposable glass or beakers (to hold prepared indicators and solutions for testing)
 Small Pan/ blender
 mortar and pestle
Preparation of local indicators:
1. Clean the space to be used for the activity with household surface cleaner.
2. Gather materials.
3. Prepare the indicator solutions. 
For the hydrangeas (blue million flowers), rose flower, camote tops, : Add about ¼ cup of
flowers or leaves to 2 cups of water in a small pan. Do it separately. Heat the water to a boil until the
water changes its color. Strain the solution to remove any residues. 
For onion skin and turmeric: Place 2 to 3 cuts in a mortar or pestle and mash to make a paste.
Add about 5 mL of water and stir, then strain to remove any solids. 
Procedure
1. Place a few milliliters of a known acid and base samples in a small disposable glass or beaker
separately.
2. Add 1 or 2 drops of one of the prepared indicators.
3. Record any color changes and compare each color changes to the printed colors given.
4. Observe for the changes in the color of each sample. Record this observation in the table below.
Conclusion: 
How do you differentiate acids from bases?
Extend:
Q1. What is the pH value of seawater? Is it acidic, basic or neutral in nature?
Q2. What is the pH level of the human body? Is it acidic, basic or neutral?
 Turmeric PH indicator
below ph 7.4 above ph 8.6