Household Cabbage Acid/Base Lab

Mike Hang

Period 3

Lab Conducted On: 11/11/03

1

Introduction

Cabbage juice is an acid/base indicator; it will turn different colors depending on the acidity or basicity of the solution. For the lab you will set up three standard solutions (acid, base and neutral) to use for comparison with 17 other solutions (20 total). All together you should be able to make a rainbow of color going from acid  neutral  base. This lab can be done alone or in a group of your choosing.

Procedures

  1. Buy a red/purple cabbage. Mix equal amounts of cabbage and water in a container.
  2. Either microwave or heat on the stove until boiling occurs. At this point the cabbage should look whiter and the water will be purple.

*Tip: Putting it in a microwave will create a less “smelly” substance.*

  1. The purple cabbage will be used as the acid/base indicator. Discard or eat the cabbage.
  2. Make a solution of vinegar (acetic acid) and cabbage juice. Just add enough cabbage juice to see the new color. This is your acid color.
  3. Make a solution of about one teaspoon baking soda (sodium carbonate) in one cup of water. Add cabbage juice. This is your neutral color.
  4. Make a solution of ammonia and cabbage juice. This is your base color.

*You can buy straight ammonia cleaner or sometimes ammonia is in floor or window cleaner.*

  1. Now find 17 other substances to test. In the kitchen, you can test food ingredients. (Drinks, juices and cleaners). **Do not use bleach. It makes a toxic gas with ammonia and it bleaches out any cabbage color.** In the bathroom you can test medicines, cosmetics, shampoos, etc. White or light colored substances work best. Solid/thick liquids can be dissolved in water and the mixed with the cabbage juice. Add enough juice to see the color.
  2. Arrange the colors into a rainbow starting with acid  neutral  base.
  3. Make a list/table in order from most acidic to most basic.

List of Products

White Vinegar

Baking Soda

Windex

Hand Soap

BodyWash

Hair Shampoo

Cooking Oil

Fish Sauce

Mustard

Milk

Ketchup

Relish

Coke

Italian Dressing

Soy Sauce

Orange Juice

Apple Juice

Tabasco Sauce

Hydrogen Peroxide

Cookies N’ Cream Ice Cream

Name of Substance / What the substance contains / Color / Acid/Neutral/Base
White Vinegar / Vinegar / Pink / Acid
Italian Dressing / Lemon, Garlic / Pink / Acid
Apple Juice / Apple / Pink / Acid
Orange Juice / Orange / Red Orange / Acid
Tabasco / Distilled Vinegar / Red / Acid
Aaron Hydrogen Peroxide / Hydrogen Peroxide / Purple / Acid
Coke / Corn Syrup / Purple / Acid
Hand Soap / Triclosan / Purple / Acid
Viet Huong Fish Sauce / Fish Sauce / Purple & Black / Acid
BodyWash / Sodium Lauryl Sulfate / Blue Purple / Acid
Heinz Ketchup / Tomatoes / Orange / Acid
Heinz Mustard / Mustard / Orange / Acid
Heinz Relish / Pickles / Dark Orange / Acid
(Chinese) Soy Sauce / Soy Sauce / Brown / Acid
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda / Baking soda / Blue Green / Neutral
Cookies N’ Cream Ice Cream / Ice Cream / Blue / Neutral
Canola Cooking Oil / Vegetable Oil / Blue / Neutral
Hair Shampoo / Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Panthenol / Lavender / Neutral
SpringfieldMilk / Slim Milk, Vitamin A / Lavender / Neutral
Windex / Ammonia D / Dark Green / Base

Conclusion

Discuss who your lab partners were, what you learned and how the lab went.