Aim: why did we do the experiment?
We did this experiment to show how you can use universal indicators and litmus paper to test the pH of different household chemicals.
Equipment: what did you use for your experiment?
Blue litmus paper
Red litmus paper
Universal indicator
Pallete
Droppers
Samples of:
Contaminated 7 Up
Spray and Wipe
Dishwasher liquid
Floor cleaner
Fabric softener
Safety goggles
Paper towel
Method: what steps did you complete to get your results for your experiment? Use slide 133 to help
Put on safety goggles.
Place a small amount of each household chemical in its labelled space.
Dip a piece of blue litmus paper into each chemical and record the colour change.
Dip a piece of red litmus paper into each chemical and record the colour change.
Add a few drops of universal indicator to a fresh sample of each chemical.
Record the colour produced by the universal indicator.
Compare the colours with the indicator colour chart.
Use the results to decide whether each chemical was acidic, basic or neutral.
Clean the equipment and wash hands after the experiment.
Results: Pictures
Include your results here:
Chemical being tested
Colour in blue litmus
Colour in red litmus
Colour in Universal indicator
7 Up Contaminated
Red
REd
Orange
Spray and Wipe
Purple
Blue
Blue
Dishwasher
Blue
Blue
Blue
Floor Cleaner
Magenta
{Purple
Green
Fabric Softner
Pink
REde
Orange
Write your conclusions here:
Chemical being tested
Acid or Base?
Evidence from investigation
7 Up Contaminated
Acid
Blue litmus turned red and the universal indicator turned orange.
Spray and Wipe
Base
Red litmus turned blue and the universal indicator was blue.
Dishwasher
Neutral
Both litmus papers stayed blue, and the universal indicator was blue.
Floor Cleaner
Neutral
The universal indicator turned green, showing it was around neutral.
Fabric Softner
Acid
Blue litmus turned pink/red and the universal indicator turned orange.
Discussion: starting discussion questions (you can include more detail)
Why did different household chemicals change different colours? Use following words in your answer: acid, base, neutral
How did you know if these chemicals were acidic or basic?
Different chemicals changed different colours because they have different pH levels.
Acids turn blue litmus red and universal indicator orange, yellow or red.
Bases turn red litmus blue and universal indicator blue or purple.
Neutral chemicals do not change litmus and turn universal indicator green.
We knew what each chemical was by looking at the colour changes.
Conclusion: starting conclusion questions (you can include more detail)
did all your experiments work – if they didn’t, why?
What could you do to improve next time?
Most of the experiment worked. The contaminated 7 Up and fabric softener were acidic, Spray and Wipe was basic, and the floor cleaner was neutral. The dishwasher liquid was recorded as neutral.
Some results may not have been completely accurate because the equipment could have been contaminated or the colours were difficult to see. Next time, we could use clean equipment, fresh indicator paper and repeat each test.