Question: Which everyday materials are acids and which are bases?
Acids and bases are found in everyday life. By placing various liquids and solids in red cabbage
juice the water will either turn pink or blue. This experiment tests the pH levels of different
liquids. If the water turns blue, that means the liquid you poured in is a base. If it turns pink, the
liquid is an acid and the higher the pH number.
• pH scale: a scale scientists use to measure how acidic or basic a liquid is. The pH scale goes
from 0 to 14. 0 is the most acidic, and 14 is the most basic. If a liquid has a pH os 7, it is
neutral such as water
• acids: are used to help our bodies digest food and they also tend to be sour or tangy
• bases: bases tend to taste more bitter when compared to acids. If you rub a base between your
fingers it will feel soapy.
• indicator: since we can’t tase everything to determine whether or not it is an acid or a base, we
use indicators to determine it. Indicators change colors when they touch an acid or a base.
Hypothesis:
Materials
- red cabbage
- dish soap
- white vinegar
- hand sanitizer
- apple juice
- baking soda
Procedure
1. Grate a small red cabbage into a large bowl or pot
2. Boil a put of water, pour the grated cabbage into the boiling water.
3. Leave the cabbage in with the boiling water for approximately half an hour, or at least until
the liquid becomes red or purplish in color. Stir occasionally
4. Place a strainer over another large bowl and put the cabbage mixture through the trainer in
order to remove the pulp. This will be your pH indicator
5. Fill a cup, drinking glass, or another device with 15 mL of dish soap into the cabbage juice.
What color did the liquid become?
6. Repeat step 6 for the remaining three liquids/solids
Observations
Did the liquids/solids change color when they came in contact with the cabbage juice indicator?
Can you use the color of the mixture to determine its pH number? How many were acids and
how many were bases? Were your hypotheses correct? Were any incorrect? Which ones