RED CABBAGE PH STRIPS , AN ALTERNATIVE

PH INDICATOR

Group 3

ARABELLA KATE YRAOLA (LEADER)

JED PENA

STEPHEN FLORES

MIKAYLA SEMING

DENISE ABION
 Chapter I

Introduction and Background of the Study

Acids are solutions that lose hydrogen ions and usually taste sour. Some very

common household solutions are acids, such as citrus fruit juices and household

vinegar. Bases are solutions that pull hydrogen ions out of solution and onto

themselves, "accepting" them, and usually feel slippery. Bases have many practical uses.

For example, "antacids" like TUMS (Calcuim carbonate) are used to reduce the acidity

in your stomach. Other bases make useful household cleaning products. To determine if

something is an acid or a base, you can use a chemical called an indicator. An indicator

changes color when it encounters an acid or base. There are many different types of

indicators, some are liquids and others are concentrated on little strips of "litmus"

paper. Indicators can be extracted from many different sources, including the pigment

of many plants. For example, the red cabbage (purple-leaved varieties of Brassica

oleracea capitata group) is a kind of cabbage, also known as purple cabbage, red kraut,

or blue kraut after preparation, which contain an indicator pigment molecule called

flavin, which is a type of molecule called an anthocyanin. Very acidic solutions will turn

an anthocyanin red whereas neutral solutions will make it purplish, and basic solutions

will turn it greenish-yellow. Thus, the color of anthocyanin solution can be use to

determine a solution's pH—a measure of how basic or acidic a solution is. In this
experiment, the group have tested the authenticity of Red Cabbage as an indicator of

acids and bases.

Red Cabbage pH paper Some of the most important kinds of chemicals in science are

acids and bases. Although you may not realize it, you use acids and bases in your home

everyday. You can recognize an acid because it makes food and drinks taste sour. If you

have ever tasted something chalky or ever felt a liquid that feels slippery like soap,

those substances are probably bases. One way to test if a substance is an acid or base is

to test its pH. pH is the scale used in science to rate acids and bases. The scale is

numbered from 1 – 12. Acids have a pH between 1 and 6. Bases have a pH between 8

and 12. If your pH is at 7, that means the substance is neutral, and it is neither an acid

nor a base. Just like we use a temperature scale on a thermometer to find out if

something is hot or cold, we can use the pH scale to find out if something is an acid or a

base. An easy way to do this is to use pH paper, which is a piece of paper with a

chemical on it that will change colors if it is mixed with acids or bases. Some fruits and

vegetables contain this special type of chemical. One example is red cabbage. In this

activity you will learn how to make your own pH paper using juice from red cabbage.

Once you make your red cabbage juice, you will want to know how to use it. If the color

of your red cabbage juice is a purple color, then you know that the pH of your solution

should be around 7, which means that your solution is neutral. When you first make the
red cabbage juice, the liquid should be this color. When you begin to test the pH of

other liquids, the juice will change different colors if it is mixed with an acid or a base.

Match the colors you get while you are testing liquids to the chart below to see.

Definition of Terms:

1. pH - A measure of acidity or alkalinity of water soluble substances (pH stands for

'potential of Hydrogen'). A pH value is a number from 1 to 14, with 7 as the middle

(neutral) point. Values below 7 indicate acidity which increases as the number

decreases, 1 being the most acidic.

2. pH Scale – measures how acidic or basic a substance is and ranges from 0 to 14.

3. Anthocyanin – a water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It is

often absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the oldest forms of pH indicator,

used to test materials for acidity.

4. Acids – A solution with a sour-taste and low pH value. A chemical substance that

neutralizes alkalis, dissolves some metals, and turns litmus red; typically, a

corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind

5. Bases – A solution with a sweet taste and high pH value. A substances that in

aqueous solution, are slippery to the touch, tastes bitter, change the colour of

indicators (e.g. turn red litmus paper blue), react with acids to form salts, promote

certain chemical reactions (base catalysis), accept protons (positive electric charge)
 from any proton donor, and/or contain completely or partially displaceable OH-

ions.

6. Indicator - A solution that changes colors in the presence of acids and bases to help

indicate the pH value.

7. TUMS or Calcium Carbonate - is the carbonic salt of calcium (CaCO3). It is used

therapeutically as a phosphate buffer in hemodialysis, as an antacid in gastric

hyperacidity for temporary relief of indigestion and heartburn, and as a calcium

supplement for preventing and treating osteoporosis.

8. Litmus paper - is a tool used to test whether a substance is an acid or base. When a

substance is dissolved in water, the resulting solution causes the litmus paper to

change color.

Statement of the Problem

1. To compare the efficacy of a paper dipped in red cabbage extract and then dried

as a pH indicator versus the commercial pH strips.

2. To compare the changes in color observed in Litmus paper and red cabbage

paper strips as indicator of acidity and alkalinity.

3. To determine whether production of red cabbage paper strips will be more

economical and easier in producing a pH indicator as compared to commercial

pH strips and Litmus paper.

Hypothesis:
 1. Red cabbage as a good acid-base indicator to be commercially produce by

extracting its juice and transferring the anthocyanin to common ordinary white

bond paper.
2. Dipping and drying a paper of red cabbage concentrated extract will produce a

good indicator of acidity and alkalinity to variable substances.

3. Commercial pH paper and red cabbage dipped paper as comparable agents in

determining acid-base level.

Significance of the Study
The red cabbage has chemicals that give color, which allows it to be used as a pH

indicator. In the study, we used the red cabbage as an alternative ingredient in

assessing the pH levels to test the acid and base levels of different items found at home.

Using the red cabbage gives a readily available medium in testing pH and as an

alternative to litmus paper. Varying color intensity of different substances using the red

cabbage will also differentiate their pH levels.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research is limited to how the red cabbage can be used as an indicator of

acid-base nature. The researchers will be using the scientific method for this

experiment as described in the procedure below. It will be conducted by selected Grade

9 students of section St Leonard, studying in St. Joseph’s College of Quezon City. This

presentation is due on October 7, 2019.

 Chapter II

Related Literature

Cassava Leaf Extract as an Acid-Base Indicator

This research was conducted to test the feasibility of cassava (Manihot esculenta) leaf
extracts as acid-base indicator. There is a growing need to utilize indigenous resources
as materials in the laboratory. The results of this study can be a basis for use of cassava,
a locally available plant in the country, as an important aid in chemistry.

The crude leaf extracts obtained from homogenized cassava leaves were added to
chemical compounds with varying strengths in acidity and basicity (strong and weak
acids and bases). Color changes were observed and recorded after the application of the
extracts. A pH meter was used to determine the ability of the extract to promote color
transformation in the different solutions of acids and bases. It was found that extracts
from the said plant have the ability to indicate the basicity of a particular chemical
substance.

Chemical compounds can be classified as acidic, basic, or neutral substances based on

several conditions. One factor considered is the color reaction which can be observed
through the use of indicators. An indicator is a substance that changes color, depending
on whether it is placed in an acidic solution or basic solution. Acid-base indicators are
dyes that are themselves weak acids and weak bases. One indicator that almost
everyone associates with acids and bases is the litmus, which has the ability to change
color in response to an acid or base. Phenolphthalein is another common indicator used
by beginners in Chemistry because its color change is very obvious, making it easy to
use. There are many other indicators that change color at different pH levels, and so are
useful for different purposes. Another commonly used indicator, the pH paper, contains
a mixture of different indicators that change colors at different pH levels. For
convenience, many laboratories opt to use pH meters or pH pens.

Many plant pigments found in nature can be used quite effectively as acid-base
indicators. The dyes in blueberries and red cabbages belong to a family of molecules
called anthocyanins. This family of molecules is responsible for the color found in
radishes, eggplants, and numerous flowers. The anthocyanins are water-soluble and
have colors that are dependent upon the pH of the reacting solution. In this study, the
researcher tested the feasibility of Cassava leaf extract as an acid-base indicator. Cassava
leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, which is a weak acid.

Bougainvillea glabra – A Natural Indicator

The present study was designed to evaluate the juice extracted from flower petals
(bracts) of climbing woody vine Bougainvillea glabra Choisy (Nyctaginaceae) as a
titration indicator. A comparative study of Bougainvillea juice, a natural indicator, with
synthetic indicator viz. phenolphthalein, methyl orange and neutral red-methylene blue
were carried out to evaluate the accuracy of Bougainvillea juice as an acid-base
indicator. The results indicated that juice obtained from flowers of Bougainvillea glabra
can be used as acid base indicator in titration of strong acid with strong base because
similar results were obtained by phenolphthalein and the rationale behind using
Bougainvillea juice in preference to phenolphthalein is it easy availability, inertness,
ease of preparation and cost-effectiveness and also the indicator papers prepared using
Bougainvillea juice can be used to differentiate solutions in pH range of 7–10 because it
showed different colors at each pH from 7–10.

Indicators are substances whose solutions change color due to changes in pH. These are
called acid-base indicators. They are usually weak acids or bases, but their conjugate
base or acid forms have different colors due to differences in their absorption spectra.
They are also known as neutralization indicator (1). Indicators can be classified into two
main classes according to their source. 1. Synthetic indicators: it includes all the
synthetically prepared acid base indicators. 2.  Natural indicators: it includes natural
flowers, fruits, and other plant parts as acid base indicators (2). Bougainvillea is named
after French Navigator Louis de Bougainvillea who first discovered these plants and its
flowers available in red, yellow, pink, white, purple, scarlet and lavender. Bougainvillea
glabra is native of Brazil and a deciduous (leaf losing), climbing woody vine. Its tiny
white flowers usually appear in clusters surrounded by colorful papery bracts, hence
the name paper flower. It is a popular plants of California, South Taxes, Florida, the
Caribbean, South Africa, Malaysia, the Mediterranean and other areas with warm
climates and having medicinal uses like anti-inflammatory, insecticidal (3), decoction of
its leaves used in diarrhea (4), cough and sore throat and also used as dye color and
fragrance in cosmetics (5). The main parts used in the plants are leaves, flower and
stem. The main constituents are alkaloids, flavonoids, steroid and D-pinitol a major
carbohydrate is isolated i.e. betacynin in bark (3). In this work, an attempt has been
made to compare natural indicator with synthetic one. Here bracts associated with
white flowers of Bougainvillea glabra were used as source of acid-base indicator.

Radish pH Paper

A pH indicator is a substance that changes color (and sometimes smell) when a basic or
acidic substance is introduced. The red radish color on the paper will act as a pH
indicator. With purple cabbage juice. If a BASIC substance is introduced, the paper will
turn a BLUE/GREEN color. If an acidic substance is introduced, the paper will turn a
PINK/RED color. With the red radish paper, we found that the BASIC substance turned
the paper a shade of ORANGE and the ACIDIC substance turned the paper a shade of
dark PURPLE.

Try some substances around the house...water (neutral), milk (neutral), bleach (basic),
baking soda paste (basic), glass cleaner (basic), vinegar (acidic), lemon juice (acidic)...
what else?

We made a baking soda paste by adding a little water to a Tb of baking soda and mixing
it together.

Just like making a red cabbage juice pH indicator...If you wanted to make a red radish
liquid, you could skin the radish peels and to the peels, add a 50-70% alcohol water
solution. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Now you have a liquid litmus indicator. You
can pour the liquid into small cups and it will turn colors when an acid or base is
introduced. OR you can soak pieces of paper in the red liquid, let them dry and then
cut the radish-soaked paper in strips.. Now you have pH paper. Drop a little drop of
bleach, lemon juice or vinegar onto the paper...are they acidic or basic substances?]
A visual acid-base indicator is just a weak acid with differently colored acid and
conjugate base forms. Flower and leaf pigments often fit this description. For example,
take rose petals and crush them with alcohol; you have an acid/base indicator solution.
Stew some red cabbage and pour off the juice; you have an acid/base indicator solution.

Many indicators can be extracted from plants; others (like phenolphthalein*) and
methyl orange are synthetic. Here is a list of 'natural' acid/base indicators.

Alizarin is an orange dye present in the root of the madder plant; it was used to dye
wool in ancient Egypt, Persia, and India. In an 0.5% alcohol solution, alizarin is yellow
at pH 5.5 and red at pH 6.8. Several synthetic modifications of alizarin are also used as
acid/base indicators.

Cochineal is an acid-base indicator made from the bodies of dried female cochineal
insects, found in Mexico and Central America. You'll have to grind about 70,000 insects
to make one pound of dry indicator. The powder is about 10% carminic acid, which is
yellow in acidic solution, and deep violet in alkaline solution. Cochineal solutions are
not used much as acid/base indicators these days.

Curcumin, or tumeric yellow, is a natural dye found in curry powder. It turns from
yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.

Esculin is a fluorescent dye that can be extracted from the leaves and bark of the horse
chestnut tree. You'll need to shine a black (ultraviolet) light on the indicator to get the
full effect. Esculin changes from colorless at pH 1.5 to fluorescent blue at pH 2.

Anthocyanin is probably the most readily available acid/base indicator; it is the plant
pigment that makes red cabbage purple, cornflowers blue, and poppies red. It changes
color from red in acid solution to purplish to green in mildly alkaline solution to yellow
in very alkaline solution.

Litmus is a blue dye extracted from various species of lichens. Although these lichens
grow in many parts of the world, almost all litmus is extracted and packaged in
Holland. Litmus is red at pH 4.5 and blue around pH 8.3. While most litmus is used to
make litmus papers, some is used as a coloring for beverages.
Logwood is a dye obtained from the heartwood of a tree that grows in Central America
and the West Indies. The extract contains hematoxylin and hematein, which turn bright
red in alkaline solution.

Definition of Terms

1. pH - A measure of acidity or alkalinity of water soluble substances (pH stands

for 'potential of Hydrogen'). A pH value is a number from 1 to 14, with 7 as the middle
(neutral) point. Values below 7 indicate acidity which increases as the number
decreases, 1 being the most acidic.

2. pH Scale – measures how acidic or basic a substance is and ranges from 0 to 14.

3. Anthocyanin – a water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It

is often absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the oldest forms of pH indicator,
used to test materials for acidity.

4. Phenolphthalein – often used as an indicator in acid-base titrations. For this

application, it turns colourless in acidic solutions and pink in basic solutions.
Phenolphthalein is slightly soluble in water and usually is dissolved in alcohols for use
in experiments.

5. Acids – A solution with a sour-taste and low pH value. A chemical substance that
neutralizes alkalis, dissolves some metals, and turns litmus red; typically, a corrosive or
sour-tasting liquid of this kind

6. Bases – A solution with a sweet taste and high pH value. A substances that in
aqueous solution, are slippery to the touch, tastes bitter, change the colour of indicators
(e.g. turn red litmus paper blue), react with acids to form salts, promote certain
chemical reactions (base catalysis), accept protons (positive electric charge) from any
proton donor, and/or contain completely or partially displaceable OH-ions

7. Indicator - A solution that changes colors in the presence of acids and bases to
help indicate the pH value.

8. Alkaloids - Any of a class of naturally occurring organic nitrogen-containing

bases. Alkaloids have diverse and important physiological effects on humans and other
animals. Well-known alkaloids include morphine, strychnine, quinine, ephedrine, and
nicotine.

9. Methyl - an alkyl radical CH3 derived from methane.

10. Carbohydrate - Are substances, found in certain kinds of food, that provide you
with energy.any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living
tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen
in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in
the animal body.

11. Flavonoids - are a group of plant metabolites thought to provide health benefits
through cell signalling pathways and antioxidant effects. These molecules are found in
a variety of fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids are polyphenolic molecules containing 15
carbon atoms and are soluble in water.

12. D-pinitol - D-pinitol is a natural compound related to the important family of

inositols. It can be found and isolated from many plants, being the active component of
ayurvedic remedies such as. Talisa patra (Abies webbiana, A. pindrow) or antidiabetic
as Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis). A a naturally occurring compound of
inositol, used as a supplement or to treat some medical conditions.

13. Betacynin - Any of a group of red pigments found mainly in plants of the order
Chenopodiales, which includes the goosefoot, cactus, and portulaca families. They are
nitrogen-containing glycosylated compounds responsible for the red colour of beetroot.

14. Steroid - any of a class of natural or synthetic organic compounds characterized

by a molecular structure of 17 carbon atoms arranged in four rings. Steroids are
important in biology, chemistry, and medicine.