EL I will learn to describe how acidic or basic a substance is by using the numbers on the pH scale.

Red Cabbage pH Indicator Make sure you wear safety glasses Acids & Alkalis can irritate or burn Your skin and eyes Materials Red Cabbage Large Test Tubes Small Test Tubes Test Tube Tongs Household Solutions Hydrochloric Acid Sodium Carbonate Procedure Collect some finely sliced red cabbage in a pestle Add a small spatula of sand and grind the cabbage and sand together Place this into a large test tube Add 20ml of distilled water Using the test tube tongs hold your test tube in the Bunsen burner and gently boil the solution. Make sure you don’t point the test tube in anybody’s else’s direction; it could spit… Place in a test rack and allow to cool. Test your known acid and alkali – hydrochloric acid and sodium carbonate Note the colour your indicator goes in each of these solutions and record it in a table. In another rack collect a small test tube for each of the household solutions - 12 test tubes. Add 1 cm of distilled water to each small test tube Add 5 drops of the household solution. Take note of the colour NOW add 5 drops of your red cabbage indicator to the test tube and note the colour. Record the colour change in your table.

Colour in distilled water Colour with Red Cabbage indicator Results Table pH 2 4 6 8 10 12 Red Cabbage Indicator Color Red Purple Violet Blue Blue/Green Greenish/ Yellow Solution Colour in distilled water Colour with Red Cabbage indicator Hydrochloric Acid - Test Solution Sodium Carbonate - 1. Lemon juice 2. Butter milk 3. Lux flakes 4. Sodium bi-carbonate 5. Dishwasher Pdr. 6. Alka Seltzer 7. Shampoo 8. Vinegar 9. Soda Water 10. Coke 11. Coffee 12. Windex