Student

1. TITLE pH Lab

2. HYPOTHESIS
I think that diluted HCL will be the most acidic and NaHCO3 will be the most alkali

3. VARIABLES
Different types of household liquids

4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION (add citations)

pH values help specify how acidic or basic substances are. To measure pH levels we use a pH scale. The
scale ranges from 0 to 14. 0 being most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkali. There are many ways to
measure pH levels, and one method is using litmus paper. Litmus paper comes in a small narrow piece of
special paper. When you put it in a substance it will change color according to the pH. Measuring pH can be
used to measure the acidity of water for aqua life. Sea animals in zoos might need a specific pH to live, so
regularly checking the pH will keep the animals alive and healthy.

5. MATERIALS
REAGENTS LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
- bleach - beakers
- dish soap - hot plate
- Tabasco - gloves
- Nestle water - glasses
- Singh water - masks
- kaffir lime - litmus paper
- honey&lime
- HCL
- natural pond water
- Fish tank water
- rubbing alcohol
- soy sauce
- tea
- baking soda

6. PROCEDURE
1) Put on safety equipment (masks, gloves, glasses)
2) Brew the tea over a hot plate
3) Put all of the substances in different beakers (one substance, one beaker)
4) Stick a litmus paper in the substance
5) Check the color of the litmus paper
6) Record data
 7) Repeat for all substances

7. SAFETY
- wear safety equipment
- beware of acidic and alkali substances
- don’t contaminate litmus paper
- no eating
- hair tied up
- no loose clothing
- no playing around

8. RESULTS ( QUALITATIVE / QUANTITATIVE)

table and bar graph or pH scale

Substance pH

Bleach 13

Dish soap 5

Tabasco 4

Nestle water 8

Singh water 7

Kaffir lime 3

Honey & lime 3

HCL 3

Natural pond water 7

Artificial pond water 5

Rubbing alcohol 5

Soy sauce 4
 Tea 6

Baking soda 9

9. ANALYSIS
This pH lab experimented with 14 different substances to discover it’s pH level. The substances we worked
with were bleach, dish soap, tabasco, Nestle water, Singh water, kaffir lime, honey&lime, HCL, natural pond
water, artificial pond water, rubbing alcohol, soy sauce, tea, and baking soda. Out of these substances, the
most acidic were Kaffir lime, honey&lime, and HCL with a pH level of 3. And the most alkali substance was
bleach with a pH level of 13. My hypothesis was correct for the most acidic substance which was HCL, but the
most alkali was incorrect. I predicted the baking soda would be the most alkali, but bleach was the most basic
with a pH of 13. What surprised me that Kaffir lime and honey&lime have the same pH level as HCL. Reflecting
back, I can see why it share the same pH level. It is because lime is sour, and acids usually have a sour taste
to it. Also, lime is used in cleaning products like HCL, so it has the same pH level as HCL.

10. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the purpose of this pH lab was to test out different substances to find their pH levels to deeply
understand what pH is. In this lab, we tested out 14 different substances for their pHs. Before diving into the
experiment I predicted that HCL would be the most acidic, and baking soda would be the most alkali.
According to the results of the data, I am half correct. HCL is in fact the most acidic amongst the substances
with a pH level of 3. However, bleach was the most alkali with a pH level of 13. Which makes my hypothesis
half incorrect because I wrote baking soda would be the most alkali. To better understand pH in the future,
understanding the importance, and how pH works chemically would help me grasps that knowledge. Knowing
the importance will help me connect pH to other things, and a better purpose to spark motivation. In addition,
understanding pH at a molecule level will help me understand how pH works, and predict a more scientific
hypothesis with facts backing it up. Something interesting I discovered by this laboratory was, sourness can
determine how acidic something is. For example, the Kaffir lime had the pH level as HCL because it was sour.
So the more sour something is, the more acidic it will be.

11. EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT

Experiments will always have errors which make results inaccurate. Even this lab report will have an
inaccuracy in its results. So what causes those errors? The main experimental error present in this lab is
contaminated litmus paper, inaccurate pH, lack of repetition, and contaminated substances. When the litmus
paper is contaminated it results in the pH being off. Since the paper is single-use, the color sticks on, so it will
be harder to identify the pH. In addition to litmus paper, litmus paper isn’t very accurate to measure pH
thoroughly. Although it has all the numbers in the range of the scale, it doesn’t have numbers after the decimal
point. If the pH was 5.5, we wouldn’t know because the litmus paper only has whole numbers. This makes the
results inaccurate. So a digital pH identifier would be a better choice for an accurate lab. Another reason is
repetition. During the lab, there wasn’t a lot of repetition of testing due to time. Also by the end, students were
lazy and copied off from their peers who have their numbers written down. Lastly, the substances could’ve
been contaminated. Since the lab wasn’t sterile enough there were many factors that could mess with the
substances making it not pure. To ensure the same error does not repeat, we need to make sure the
experiment is organized. The planning of the whole experiment should’ve been way more organized for a more
accurate lab. A solution would be having students have their own litmus paper with them and rotate around the
substances like stations. Then at the end share results and fix any outliers in the data. Creating a more
organized lab would improve the lab accuracy, which is the biggest error of this experiment.

REFERENCES

(n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/ph-and-water?qt-science_ce

nter_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Markings, S. (2019, April 29). What Color Would a Tester PH Paper Turn if Is Dipped in Water?

Retrieved from

https://sciencing.com/what-color-would-a-tester-ph-paper-turn-if-is-dipped-in-water-12731140.h

tml
What is pH? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aperainst.com/blog/what-is-ph/

NOTE.
Your lab report should include:

1. Results (Data, graphs)

2. Analysis (Answers to the proposed questions)
3. Conclusions (answer the hypothesis, supported by the results).

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

✓ QUIZ BASED ON THE LAB GUIDE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS.

✓ PRINTED LAB GUIDE.
✓ YOUR REPORT MUST BE WRITTEN IN THE SAME LAB GUIDE TEMPLATE,
SHOWING YOUR WORK DURING THE LAS SESSIONS.
✓ Lab report following the given criteria.