Technicians’ lists of equipment
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Catalyst 1, Unit E: Acids and alkalis
Lesson E1: Acids, bases, alkalis
Starter activities
Problem solving
 five containers of water
Main activities
E1a Make your own indicator
For each group:
 a cooked beetroot (not pickled)
 a knife to cut the beetroot
 a white tile
 a heatproof mat
 a Bunsen burner
 a tripod and gauze
 a 250 cm3 beaker
 a 250 cm3 conical flask
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a filter funnel
filter paper
two test tubes
a test tube rack
a dropping pipette
lemon juice
soap solution
For the class (optional teacher demonstrations):
 a large piece of filter paper
 1% phenolphthalein solution
 a paintbrush
 a spray container
 sodium hydroxide solution, 2 mol/dm3 [CORROSIVE]
 three 100 cm3 beakers
 a dropping pipette
 dilute hydrochloric acid (1 mol/dm3) [IRRITANT]
E1b Using plant extracts as indicators
For each group:
 a spotting tile (dimple tile)
 access to a range of plant extracts in labelled beakers with dropping pipettes (the dyes will need
to be extracted from the plant material ready for the lesson), for example:
red cabbage
blackcurrant
raw beetroot
litmus
 access to a range of household and laboratory acids and alkalis (maximum strength
0.4 mol/dm3), for example:
hydrochloric acid
lemonade
sulphuric acid
sodium hydrogencarbonate solution
nitric acid
calcium hydroxide solution (limewater)
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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Technicians’ lists of equipment
Downloaded from www.catalystscience.co.uk
Catalyst 1, Unit E: Acids and alkalis
lemon juice
vinegar
ammonia solution
sodium hydroxide solution
Lesson E2: How acidic?
Main activities
E2a Dip and check
For each group:
 a range of household substances with various pHs (e.g. bleach, washing up
liquid, washing powder, soap, oven cleaner, vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) Each
should be mixed with or dissolved in a beaker of water for testing. The original
packaging should be displayed and the beakers labelled to match the packaging.
 a glass rod for each beaker
 a book of pH paper
Lesson E3: Taking away acidity
Main activities
E3a Adding an acid to an alkali
For each group:
 universal indicator colour chart
 universal indicator solution
 two 100 cm3 beakers
 two 50 cm3 measuring cylinders
 two dropping pipettes
 a stirring rod
 100 cm3 of hydrochloric acid, 0.4 mol/dm3
 100 cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution, 0.4 mol/dm3
E3b Using a datalogger to check pH changes
For each group:
 a 250 cm3 beaker
 a 100 cm3 measuring cylinder
 a 50 cm3 measuring cylinder
 a 100 cm3 dropping funnel
 a magnetic stirrer
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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Technicians’ lists of equipment
Downloaded from www.catalystscience.co.uk
Catalyst 1, Unit E: Acids and alkalis
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a retort stand and clamp
a pH sensor
a datalogger with printer
100 cm3 of hydrochloric acid, 0.4 mol/dm3
100 cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution, 0.4 mol/dm3
E3cde Investigate: How well do antacids work?
Equipment may vary slightly according to the method chosen by pupils in their plans.
For each group:
 four 250 cm3 beakers
 a 100 cm3 measuring cylinder
 a stirring rod
 hydrochloric acid, 0.1 mol/dm3, labelled ‘stomach acid’
 four different brands of antacid
 a stopwatch
 universal indicator solution
 a universal indicator colour chart
Additional for Extension:
 a datalogger with printer (optional)
 a pH sensor (two, if available)
 a retort stand and clamp (depending on type of sensor)
 a plastic stirring rod
E3c How well do antacids work?
 four beakers
 a measuring cylinder
 universal indicator solution
 a stirring rod
 a solution of ‘stomach acid’
 a universal indicator chart
 a stopwatch
 four different brands of antacid
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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