Moore, Timothy
Moore, Timothy
Instructor: Mrs. Tammy Moore
Class: VHSG Online Chemistry
26 May 2009
EXPERIMENT 10.1
Common household examples of acids and bases
Exploring characteristics of acids and bases via common household products
Abstract
[What you will put here: Summarize the whole report in one, concise paragraph of about 100-200
words. You cannot write the abstract until after you've completed the report. Because it assumes that
you will speak to your conclusion or what you learned in brief.]
Introduction
[What you will put here: In this introduction, some background is provided for the reader
(sources are noted in the reference section at the end of the report).Typically, the introduction states the
problem to be solved or the experiment to be performed and explains its purpose and significance. It
also provides whatever background theory, previous research, or formulas the reader needs to
understand to perform the experiment (or solve the problem).]
Methods and Observations
Materials

Red litmus paper

Blue litmus paper

Green apple

Orange juice or soda/cola

Toilet bowl cleaner

Bar soap (not the pH balanced ones)

All-purpose cleaner (Windex or generic brand)
Moore, Timothy

Powdered drain cleaner (Draino) or scouring powder (Comet)

4 test tubes (or small cup)

Watch glass (or small saucer)

Stirring rod

Rubber gloves
APPLE:
I tasted the apple. It tasted [would you say that it was more bitter or sour?]. I can assume that
the apple would be [acid or base?]. I used blue and then red litmus paper to test my guess. [Was it
confirmed? If the blue litmus paper turned red, it is acidic.]
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER:
I sprayed some of the all purpose cleaner onto the [watch glass or saucer]. I had washed my
hands so that they would not have any of the apple juice on them. I then rubbed my finger into the all
purpose cleaner solution. [enter your observations of the texture you feel here] The texture I felt leads
me to guess that the cleaner would be a [base or acid?] I tested my hypothesis by dipping red and then
blue litmus paper into the solution. [Was it confirmed? If red litmus paper turns blue, it is a base.]
BAR SOAP:
I rinsed my hands again. I shaved a small amount of soap from the bar into a test tube. I filled it
about 3/4ths full of water. I covered the opening of the tube with my thumb and vigorously shook it for
about 2 minutes. [Enter your observations about the texture of the solution. Acid or base?] I tested my
hypothesis with the litmus paper. [Enter the results].
ORANGE JUICE OR SODA:
I tasted the beverage. It tasted [would you say that it was more bitter or sour?]. I can assume
that the liquid would be [acid or base?]. I used blue and then red litmus paper to test my guess. [Was it
confirmed? If the blue litmus paper turned red, it is acidic.]
TOILET BOWL CLEANER:
Moore, Timothy
I rinsed my hands again and dried them well so the rubber glove would be more comfortable.
Rubber gloves were a necessity with toilet bowl cleaner because it can be caustic to the skin. I was also
careful that my eyes would be protected from accidental splashes. I tested the substance with red and
blue litmus paper. The toilet bowl cleaned is a [acid or base?]
DRAIN CLEANER (OR SCOURING POWDER):
I rinsed my hands again and returned the rubber gloves onto my hands. Rubber gloves were a
necessity with drain cleaner as well because it too is caustic to the skin. I added the powder to a clean
dry test tube until it was about ¾ full. To be safe, instead of covering the end and shaking the tube as I
did with the toilet bowl cleaner, I used a stirring rod to stir it so it would have less chance of splashing
out of the tube. I tested the substance with red and blue litmus paper. It is a [acid or base?]
Conclusion
My observations [You must explain, analyze, and interpret your results, being especially careful
to explain any errors or problems. This is probably the single most important part of the report, since it
is here that you demonstrate that you understand and can interpret what you have done. Read Dr. Wile’s
explanation of the experiment in the text, if needed. Just don’t copy it word for word. ]
References
[Use MLA citation standards. This is commonly used in lab reports, but APA is used in some colleges
too. I encourage you to do some of your own research too and add to the introduction section of the lab
report from what you learn.