Third Class have been studying acids and alkalis. Acids have a pH of 1-6, neutral things have a pH of 7 and alkalis have a pH of 8-14. We decided to experiment on a few common household substances to see if they were neutral, acid or alkali. To measure this we firstly used red and blue litmus paper. Red litmus paper stays red/pink for an acid, but turns blue for an alkali. Blue litmus paper turns pink for an acid, but stays blue for an alkali. Here are our results:
We then created our own pH indicator. We soaked red cabbage in boiling water (teacher did this) and strained the water out. We used this water to test our household substances. The cabbage juice was a dark purple colour. Substances that were acid turned the cabbage water pink. Substances that were neutral made it stay purple. Substances that were alkali turned it a green/blue colour. Here are our results:
Check out our gallery of experiment photos here:
Acid or Alkali
