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Basic or Acidic: The pH Lab

CSEF · 2014 Chemistry Honorable_mention Award

Ashwin M. Gupta · Orchard Hills Middle School, Irvine, Orange County

Overview

Objectives/Goals The pH scale is used to measure acidity of an object. Acidity is measured with pH paper which turns red in acidic and blue in basic/alkaline solutions. My objective is to create pH paper using red cabbage juice, which is naturally pH sensitive due to a pigment called flavin. If my pH paper works then I hypothesize that baking soda will have the highest acidity and milk will have the lowest acidity. Methods/Materials Materials # Red Cabbage # Lab Filter Paper # Acid test items: Lemon juice, vinegar, soda. Orange juice, banana, black coffee, milk, saliva, pure water, salt water, baking soda, soapy water Procedure 1. Slice cabbage at 1 inch intervals 2. Place leaves in a cooking pot and cover with water 3. Cook on medium heat for ½ hour 4. Allow cabbage to cool than pour the liquid into a bowl using a strainer 5. Soak 5 sheets of filter paper in the solution for about ½ hour 6. While sheets dry cut them into strips 7. pH paper is now complete. 8. Test acidic solutions on it. My experiment has 2 trials for each solution. The measurements I intend to take are the intensity of the color of the paper which indicates the pH level of the substance. Results ITEM PREDICTION RESULT Lemon Juice Acidic Most Acidic Vinegar Basic Acidic Soda Acidic Acidic Orange Juice Acidic Acidic Black Coffee Basic Unknown (Failed to get result due to dark color) Milk Most Basic Neutral Saliva Acidic Neutral/possible basic Banana Basic Basic Pure Water Neutral Neutral Salt Water Acidic Most Basic Soapy Water Acidic Basic Baking Soda Most Acidic Basic Conclusions/Discussion

Summary statement

My project is about the pH scale, and measuring the acidity of various substances we encounter in our daily lives.

Help received

Father helped me prepare cabbage juice solution that involves boiling water.

Awards (1)

  • Honorable Mention

Competition history

  • CSEF 2014 Chemistry · Entry J0611

Resources

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