Detecting acids and alkalis

Robert Boyle was an Irish scientist who lived just

over 300 years ago. He studied acids and alkalis
and decided to try and find an easy way to
identify them.
He knew that in France workers who made silk
clothes dyed them with the juices of plants, and
he began testing plant juices to see if they would
solve his problem.
Litmus solution is purple but it turns red when it comes into
contact with an acid.

When an alkali comes into contact with purple litmus solution, the
solution turns blue.
Litmus paper for testing for acids is blue. The paper turns red
when it is dipped in acid or a drop of acid is put on it.

Litmus paper used for testing for an alkali is red. When red
litmus paper comes into contact with an alkali it turns blue.

Vinegar acid Red colour with litmus solution

Lemon juice Turns blue litmus paper into red one
Methanoic acid Red colour with red cabbage juice
Hydrochloric acid Purple colour with violets
Tartaric acid methyl orange is pink
Etc phenolphthalein is colourless
Hydrangeas have blue flowers
Sodium hydroxide Alkali Blue colour with litmus solution
Potash Turns red litmus paper into blue one
Lime Green colour with red cabbage
etc Greenish yellow colour with violets
methyl orange is yellow
phenolphthalein is pink
Hydrangeas have pink flowers
examples of indicators :
There are over 20 indicators that scientists use.

1- • methyl orange is pink in acid solutions and yellow in

alkaline solutions

2- • phenolphthalein is colourless in acid solutions and pink

in alkaline solutions.

3- .the hydrangea
plant that can be used as an indicator as it grows in the soil. The
colour of flowers can be affected by alkali in the soil. Hydrangeas
have pink flowers when they are
grown in a soil containing lime
(calcium hydroxide, an alkali) and
blue flowers when grown in a lime-
free soil.
The colour of the flowers can be used
to assess the alkalinity of the soil.
10) When Boyle tested a liquid with red cabbage juice, it
turned the indicator from purple to red.
a) What was the liquid? It was an acid
b) What colour would it turn Boyle's violet juice? It would
turn purple

11 When Boyle tested a liquid with litmus solution, it went

blue.
a) What was the liquid? It was alkali
b) What colour would it turn violet juice? It would turn it
greenish yellow colour
c) What colour would it turnred cabbage juice?it would turn
into green

The pH scale : In 1909, a Danish scientist

called Søren Sørensen
Importance : invented a scale called the
to compare the strengths of acids and alkalis. pH scale to do just that.

The letters p and H stand for the power of hydrogen' because

this is an element that is found in acids, which takes an active
part in their chemical reactions

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14.

On this scale,
the strongest acid is 0 and the strongest alkali is 14.
A strong acid has a pH of 0–2,
a weak acid has a pH of 3-6,
a weak alkali has a pH of 8-11
and a strong alkali has a pH of 12-14.
A solution with a pH of 7 is neutral. It is neither an acid nor an
alkali.

An electrical instrument called a pH meter is used to measure

the pH of an acid or alkali accurately.
For general laboratory use, the pH of an acid or an alkali is
measured with universal indicator. This is made from a mixture of
indicators. Each indicator changes colour over part of the range
of the scale. By combining the indicators, a solution is made that
gives different colours over the whole of the pH range

14) Here are some measurements of solutions that were

made using a pH meter: a) b) 16 )
solution A PH 0 acid red strong acid
solution B PH 11 alkali purple
solution C pH 6 acid yellow
solution D pH 3 acid pink
solution E pH 13 alkali purple strong alkali
solution F pH 8 alkali light purple

a) Which of the solutions are:

i) acids
ii) alkalis?

b) If the solutions were tested with universal indicator paper,

what colour would the indicator paper be with each one?

c) Fresh milk has a pH of 6. How do you think the pH would

change as it became sour? Explain your answer.
The PH decreases , as it became more acidic .
15 )Here are some results of solutions tested with universal
indicator paper:
sulfuric acid - red strong acid
metal polish - dark blue
washing-up liquid - yellow
milk of magnesia - light blue
oven cleaner - purple strong alkali
car battery acid - pink

-
Arrange the solutions in order of their pH, starting with the
one with the lowest pH.

16) Identify the strong and weak acids and alkalis from the
results shown in questions 14 and 15.

17) Look at page 147 about acids and predict whether nitric
acid is a strong or a weak acid. Explain your answer.
Strong
it is used to separate silver and gold