Name

Section Instructor

Chemistry of Living Organisms:

Measuring pH

Joshua Haviv/Shutterstock.com
OBJECTIVES

Place a check mark (✓) in the box in front of each item as you complete it.

❑❑ 1. I can describe the pH scale.

❑❑ 2. I can correlate pH value with H+ concentration.
❑❑ 3. I can measure the pH of a solution using a variety of techniques and interpret
the pH value of the solution as acidic, basic, or neutral.
❑❑ 4. I can define pH indicator solution and give one example.
❑❑ 5. I can explain the difference between a qualitative and a quantitative test.

MATERIALS

1. Litmus paper, pH paper, pH meter, BTB (bromothymol blue)

2. Solutions of known pH values (HCl, NaOH, water)
3. Five solutions of unknown pH values
4. Spot plates
5. Safety glasses
6. Wax pencil

INTRODUCTION

Measurements of pH refer to the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution. The number

given in a pH measurement (the pH value) can be applied to the following pH scale to
determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or pH neutral:

Hydroxide ion
concentration
Hydrogen ion
concentration

(Neutral pH)
0 Acidic (7) Basic 14

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Chemistry of Living Organisms: Measuring pH

Notice that the relationship between hydrogen ion concentration and pH value is
inverse. That means that solutions with a high hydrogen ion concentration have a low
pH value, and solutions with a low hydrogen ion concentration have a high pH value.

Pure water releases equal amounts of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH−)
when its molecules partially ionize. (In other words: H2O ↔ H+ + OH−.) Pure water would
correspond to the value “7” on the pH scale, meaning pH neutral.

An acid is a substance that increases the free hydrogen ion concentration as it mixes
with water because the acid molecule releases H+ as it breaks apart. For example, hydro-
chloric acid (HCl) separates into the ions H+ and Cl−. Acids, therefore, are characterized by
pH values less than “7.” The greater the amount of released H+, the lower the pH value.

A base, on the other hand, reduces the free hydrogen ion concentration as it mixes with
water because basic (or alkaline) substances remove hydrogen ions by combining with
them. As a result, bases shift the balance so that there are fewer H+ and more OH− ions
in the solution. Bases are characterized by pH values greater than “7.” The greater the
amount of released OH−, the higher the pH value.

PROCEDURE

pH meter
➤ There are many ways in which the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution can
be measured and compared with other solutions. One method is to use equipment
such as a pH meter. When its electrode is placed in a solution, the needle moves
to a position on the pH scale reading between 0 and 14.

1. Using the pH meter, test the pH of the three “known” solutions and record their
values in the provided table.

Table 1.  pH Results

HCl NaOH Water

0.63 12.7 7
pH meter

1 13 7
pH paper

yellow blue green

BTB

red blue
Litmus paper (blue)

red blue
Litmus paper (red)

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 Chemistry of Living Organisms: Measuring pH

➤ Certain substances, known as “pH indicators,” turn a specific color when exposed to
a specific hydrogen ion concentration. The pH paper has been treated with a pH
indicator. After the paper has been soaked with the solution being tested, the color
of the paper can be compared to known standards (printed on the container) and
the pH value determined.

pH paper
2. Using pH paper, test the pH of the three “known” solutions and record their values
in the table on the previous page. Hold the pH paper over the spot plate and allow
several drops of the solution to run down its length.

BTB and litmus paper

➤ Some pH indicators are less specific and only react to broad ranges of hydrogen ion
concentration, such as acidic solutions with more H+ than water and basic solutions
with less H+ than water.

➤ BTB (bromothymol blue) is a pH indicator solution that changes color in the

presence of acidic and basic solutions.

3. Rinse and dry your spot plate. Put one drop of BTB in each of the three wells. Test
the pH of the three “known” solutions by adding one drop of each to the BTB.
Record the final colors of the BTB in the table on the previous page.

➤ Litmus paper is a special paper that has been infused with a pH indicator. Two
varieties of litmus paper are provided: “blue” and “red.” While both retain their
original colors when exposed to pH-neutral solutions, each will undergo a specific
color change when exposed to a H+ concentration that differs from neutrality.

4. Rinse and dry your spot plate. Place a few drops of HCl into one well of the spot
plate and touch the solution with each of the two strips of litmus paper. Record the
final colors of the litmus papers in the table on the previous page. Repeat the test
for NaOH, using a different well in the spot plate and new litmus paper (labelling
the wells with a wax pencil can help you keep track of the contents of each well).

• Which of the four testing mechanisms (pH meter, pH paper, BTB, litmus paper)
BTB
is least specific in identifying the amount of hydrogen ion present? ____________

➤ Note: A qualitative test determines the presence (quality) of a substance, while

a quantitative test determines the actual amount (quantity) of the substance
present.

• Which two of the four tests (pH meter, pH paper, BTB, or litmus paper) would be
considered qualitative in its results? _______________________________________
Litmus Paper

• Which two of the four tests (pH meter, pH paper, BTB, or litmus paper) would
be considered quantitative in its results? pH meter
_________________________________

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Chemistry of Living Organisms: Measuring pH

5. Wash and dry the spot plate. Label five wells of the spot plate with the letters A
through E. Add a few drops of each unknown solution into the appropriate well of
the spot plate. Test the pH of each unknown solution using the pH paper. Record
the pH of each unknown solution in Table 2. In the next column, indicate if the
unknown is an acidic, basic, or neutral solution. Your instructor will reveal the
identity of each unknown solution at the end of class.

Table 2.  Unknowns

Acid, Base, or Identity of
Unknown pH
Neutral? Substance
3 Acid Lemon Juice
A

4 Acid 7 Up
B

3 Acid White Vinegar

C

11 Base Baking Soda

D
Solution
9 Base Ammonia
E

6. Wash and dry the spot plate. Throw away the pH paper and litmus paper in the
trash.

34
 Name

Section Instructor

QUESTIONS
Acid
1. Solution X has a pH of 6 and is a/an ___________________ (acid/base); Solution Y
Base
has a pH of 12 and is a/an _____________________(acid/base). Which one of these
Solution Y
has a higher concentration of H+? ________________________________________

Base
2. A solution that turns red litmus paper to blue is a/an ____________________ (acid/
base).

Acid
3. A solution that turns blue litmus paper to red is a/an ____________________ (acid/
base).

4. Which pH measurement method is quantitative—litmus paper or pH paper?

pH paper

5. Which pH measurement method is qualitative—litmus paper or the pH meter?

Litmus paper

6. What is meant by the term “pH indicator solution”?

A solution that changes based on the pH of the other solution mixed with it.

Which pH indicator solution did you use in today’s lab?

The pH indicator solution used was BTB.

7. Look at the previous question. What color was that pH indicator solution when it
was mixed with HCl?
Yellow

Is HCl an acid or a base?

Acid

8. Look at the previous two questions. What color was the pH indicator solution when
it was mixed with NaOH?
Blue

Is NaOH an acid or a base?

Base

9. Which has the lowest H+ concentration, HCl, water, or NaOH?

HCL

10. Which of the unknowns has the highest H+ concentration?

Baking soda solution

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Chemistry of Living Organisms: Measuring pH

pH Scale

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

11. Label the pH scale above with the following terms:

Acidic
Basic
Neutral
High [H+]
Low [H+]

12. Label the pH scale above with your unknowns (A, B, C, D, and E) from Table 2.

3- Lemon Juice
3- White Vinegar
4- Seven Up
9- Ammonia
11- Baking Soda Solution

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