Lab: Cabbage Juice Indication of Acids/Bases (27 points)

Objectives
After you have completed this laboratory, you will be able to:

Distinguish between acidic and basic solutions by using an indicator.

Introduction
Solutions can be classified as acids or bases. The pH scale is used to measure the strength of an acid or
a base. The range of pH is 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Substances with a pH below 7 are classified as
acids, and substances with a pH above 7 are classified as bases. The concentration of hydrogen ions
determines how strong an acid is. The concentration of hydroxide ions determines the strength of a base.
An indicator is a substance used to indicate whether a solution is acidic or basic. Some common
indicators are BTB (bromothymol blue), pH paper, and litmus paper. Indicators test for different pH
ranges. BTB tests for weak acids and weak bases, litmus paper only distinguishes between an acid and a
base, and an actual pH can be determined using pH paper.

Purpose of This Lab

The purpose of this lab is to use a cabbage juice indicator to distinguish between acidic and basic
solutions. The juice will turn purple or pink in an acidic solution, blue in a weak base, and green-yellow in
a strong base.

Questions
1. What are the general properties of an acid?

Acids in water solutions exhibit the following common properties: they taste sour; turn litmus
paper red; and react with certain metals, such as zinc, to yield hydrogen gas.

2. What are the general properties of a base?

Bases in water solutions exhibit these common properties: they taste bitter; turn litmus paper
blue; and feel slippery.

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Hypothesis
After reading the lab instructions but before starting the lab, record your best educated guess about
what will happen in the experiment. Write the hypothesis as an if-then statement. Give your reasons and
outline any assumptions that lead you to this hypothesis.

Experiment: Cabbage Juice Indication of Acids/Bases

In this lab you will use cabbage juice as an acid base indicator. You will be testing a variety of household
solutions. The color change of the cabbage juice will tell you the range of pH for that solution. Use the
table below to help you identify the pH of each solution.
Color

Pink

Red

Violet

Blue

Blue-green

Greenyellow

Approximate
pH

10

12

Acid/Base

Acid

Acid

Acid/Neutral

Base

Base

Base

Materials

1 head of red cabbage

1 knife for cutting

water

medium pot

colander/strainer

measuring cup

stove top/hotplate

plastic wrap

white paper

2 droppers

tsp. spoon

lemon juice
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milk

bleach

vinegar

clear soda

household ammonia

8 plastic cups

permanent marker

Safety Precautions
Be safe as you work on this or any lab. Follow these steps to safely conduct the experiment:

Bleach is toxic and is an inhalation hazard. Do not spill and do not leave the bleach container
open. Be careful not to get it on your hands.

Household ammonia is also an inhalation hazard. Do not leave the container open.

Do not mix bleach and ammonia; this creates a toxic gas that can be extremely harmful.

When disposing of these chemicals flush down the drain with lots of water.

Getting Started

Gather all the materials for the lab.

Chop the red cabbage with a knife.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot.

Turn the heat on low once it begins to boil.

Stir the cabbage into the hot water in the pot.

Place the lid on the pot and let the cabbage soak in the hot water for 12 minutes.

Label the 6 cups: "lemon juice," "milk," "bleach," "vinegar," "clear soda," and "ammonia."

In the bleach cup, add 1 tsp. of bleach and fill the cup halfway with water to dilute the bleach.

Add 2 tsp. of each remaining substance to each cup.

Label another plastic cup indicator.

After 12 minutes, strain the cabbage chunks from the hot water.

Pour the hot colored water into the indicator cup. Let the indicator cool for 10 more minutes.

Use the remaining cup for water. You will use this cup to rinse the dropper between samples.
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Procedure
1. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the white paper.
2. Place 5-10 drops of each sample on the plastic wrap. Be sure to space them so the samples do
not run together.
3. Rinse the dropper in the water cup between each sample.
4. Using the second dropper, add 1-3 drop of red cabbage juice indicator to each sample.
5. Observe the colors and record in the data table.
6. If you cannot distinguish the color change, redo the sample and add more drops of sample and
indicator.

Disposal and Clean Up

1. Dispose of the plastic wrap and paper.
2. Pour all chemicals, one at a time, in the sink. Flush with plenty of water.
3. Clean and dry all of the cups for reuse
4. Clean all and dry all other lab materials.
5. Clean and dry the workspace.

Data
Data Table 1: Acids and Bases
Substance

Color Observed after Addition of

Indicator

Lemon Juice
Milk
Bleach
Vinegar
Clear Soda
Ammonia

Analysis
Label each substance acid, base, or neutral.
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Substance

Acid, base. or neutral?

Approximate
pH

Lemon Juice
Milk
Bleach
Vinegar
Clear Soda
Ammonia

Conclusion
After conducting the experiment, how would you now explain the problem(s) or answer the question(s)?
Were you able to support your hypothesis or not? Be sure to base your answer on the data you collected.
Consider whether your conclusion is the only explanation for the data you collected or if there could be
alternate explanations.
Discuss your result for each sample.

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Additional Questions
1. Does dilution affect the pH of a substance? Explain.

2. How many times stronger is a pH of 1 than a pH of 2?

3. Were any of the results different from what you predicted?

4. If your experiment does not seem to match the expected results, what did you learn from the
experience? If you were to repeat the lab so that the results were closer to what was expected,
what would you do differently?

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