DVM 1-ASTM

03/08/2023
GROUP NO. 1
Jan Denver R. Placido Rho Anne Mitz P. Pascua
Janzer E. Ferrer Lyanna D. Rualiso
Avril Glaze B. Cancejo Princess C. Badua
Shaina B. Mabborang

EXPERIMENT NO. 1

HYDRONIUM IONS AND BUFFERS

I. INTRODUCTION
All biological processes are significantly impacted by the presence of hydrogen ions in the
medium in which they occur. Substances, even household substances, can be acidic, basic, or
neutral. Acids and bases are called aqueous solutions, or mixtures of certain substances
dissolved in water. pH is a numerical indicator of how acidic or basic aqueous or other liquid
solutions are, and it is used to represent the concentration of hydronium Ions. There are two
primary ways to detect a solution's pH: using pH indicator paper or solution and using a pH
meter.
The keeping of an ideal pH in the surroundings of plant and animal cells is crucial to an
organism's survival. Buffers have the role of controlling pH, which is important for enzyme-
catalyzed. A weak acid and its conjugate base are combined to form a buffer.
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, pH = pKa + log [A-]/[HA], can be obtained from the
dissociation constant Ka, which can be written as Ka = [H+] x [A-]/[HA]. Where [A-] /[HA]
is the ratio of the concentrations of the conjugate-based and weak acid, and pKa is log Ka. The
third component of the equation can be determined if any two components are known.
A. Objectives
The objectives of this experiment are to test the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of various solutions
using different pH indicators and meters and apply the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to
calculate the value of Ka for an unknown acid.
 II. METHODOLOGY
A. Materials
• Litmus Paper • pH Meter
• Hydrion pH Paper • Vinegar
• Beaker • Sparkling Water
• Green Tea (C2) • Calamansi
• Lemon • Energy Drink (Sting)
• Evaporated Milk • Coffee
• Royal • Baking Soda
• Saliva

B. Procedure

Compare the color obtained on the

pH paper with the color chart
 III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Substance Wide Range Narrow Range Electrometric

Detector
Color Approx. Color Approx. Approx. pH
pH pH
Vinegar Red Acidic Red 3 – acidic 2.20
Sparkling Water Red Acidic Orange 4 – acidic 2.73-2.78
C2 Red Acidic Orange 5 – acidic 3.45
Lemon Red Acidic Red 3 – acidic 2.25
Toothpaste No color Neutral Yellow 7– 7.23
change Green neutral
observed
Calamansi Red Acidic Orange 4 – acidic 2.23-2.25
Evaporated Milk Red Acidic Yellow 6– 6.53
slightly
acidic
Sting Red Acidic Orange 4 – acidic 2.83
Royal Red Acidic Orange 4 – acidic 2.70
Coffee Yellow 6– 6.62
slightly
acidic
Baking Soda Blue Basic Green 8 – basic 8.23-8.25
Saliva No color Neutral Yellow 7– 7.14
change Green neutral
observed

IV. CONCLUSION
After conducting a laboratory experiment to test the pH of various substances, it can be
concluded that most the substances tested were acidic, and only a few select from those were
either basic or neutral.
Substances that have a pH below 7, are considered acidic, while those with pH higher than
7, are basic. If a substance has a pH of 7, therefore is Neutral. The experiment demonstrates
the importance of understanding pH and determining whether a substance is acidic, basic, or
neutral.
In the experiment, various substances were tested and their pH levels were recorded.
Vinegar, tested the most acidic in the pH meter which had a pH of 2.20 and had a red color
change on both the wide and the narrow range pH paper. On the other hand, only baking soda
tested out to be basic with a pH of 8.23, as per the pH meter, and had a green color change on
the narrow range paper and a blue color change on the wide range paper. However, Saliva
tested out to be most neutral with a pH of 7.14, had no color change on the wide range pH
paper, and had a yellow green color change on the narrow range pH paper.
 It is important to note that pH can have significant effects on the behavior of substances.
For example, highly acidic substances are mostly the substances that we drink day to day, while
substances that are highly basic are the substances that are more commonly used for cleaning.
Overall, the results of the experiment help us visualize the different pH levels of various
tested substances.