Name:
Date:
Class Name/Number: NSCI101 Section E801 Semester 1006
Lab Activity Title Input the title of the activity.
Statement of the Problem What are the ph levels for items we come into contact with on a daily basis?
Hypothesis I expect the 7 sample items to have a wide variety of ph Levels. However, I expect that items we consume as humans will be closer to the neutral range of the ph scale while items we use to clean around the house will be inversely proportional to the items we consume. I believe the household items will be on the extremes, either extremely basic or extremely acidic.
Methods Items for experiment were purchased from the Commissary and the Nhetto. They include:
1 x .608 kg head of red Cabbage
2 x Melitta white coffee filters
1 x 12 oz coke
1x Tums antacid
1x Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover
1x 22oz bottle of Clorax bleach
1x bx of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
1x toilet bowl cleaner
1x hohes C orange juice
750ml of tap water
The following steps from the guide was followed (with changes from the instructor):
1. Using a standard cheese grater, I took the entire head of red cabbage and shredded it into small pieces. After shredding was complete the pile of cabbage was placed into a stainless steel cook pot.
2. In order to attempt to get the most accurate results I used my fish tank ph test to identify the ph level of my tap water. The result was my tap water is about a 7.8 (slightly higher than the 7.0 that is considered neutral).
3. I then measured out 750ml of tap water and added it to the pot where my cabbage was.
4. I then started boiling the cabbage while I assembled the 7 different substances including the coke and antacid as per the special instructions for this lab.
5. After 5 minutes I removed the cabbage from the stove and carefully drained the broth into a new glass bowl.
6. I allowed the broth to cool for a 30 minute period.
7. After the broth cool, I filled 8 small glass cups with the broth and labeled each cup with the name of the solution I was to use on it.
8. One by one I began adding 10ml of the various household solutions to the broth and stirred the solution to ensure it was completely mixed.
9. Using the chart in the books step 3. I attempted to categorize the solutions by color, and then recorded my initial observations for each solution.
10. Before starting the battery test I took 4 coffee filters and soaked them into the untouched broth. I set that bowl aside so it can be used later.
11. I used the remaining glass cup with the broth that has not had anything added to it to perform the battery check;
12. I held the battery in the solution and annotated my observations accordingly.
13. On day two I removed the coffee filters from the solution and dried them out. Once dried out, I cut them into strips to be used in the solutions from the day prior. I ensured I had 14 strips.
14. I then dipped 7 strips into the solution of cabbage and household products. I observed the color change and annotated it.
15. I then used the other 7 strips on the household items in a pure state (without mixing them with the red cabbage). I included the results in the data listed below. Standard Method Question 1— Did you gather information from books, the Web, or other sources to help in designing or carrying out the experiment?
Id did not use any other reference other than the lab work book and the special instructions in the syllabus and conference area. Did you carry out trial runs before the actual experiment to make sure that things would work?
Standard Method Question 2—What safety precautions were necessary, and why?
I took the following safety precautions for this experiment. I used extreme care when I was shredding the cabbage in order to ensure I did not run my hand across the shredder and cut my hand. Additionally, when I was boiling the broth, I used standard heat protective gloves to prevent burning myself. I wore eye protection through the whole experiment in case of splashes.
Observations I noticed some of the base cleaners I used were off the chart in the book. I was forced to estimate their pH as such. The color would change depending on the substance I added. The redder the color the stronger the acid. Vice versa the color scheme seemed to grow softer as the alkaline level increased. The bleach had the single most dramatic change going from a dark purple to the light yellow color. The antacid seemed to be the closest to a neutral pH level.
Observation Question 1—Were the observations quantitative or qualitative?
My observations were qualitative because they relied on me observing a color change and then trying to compare the change in color to the description published in the book.
Observation Question 2—Did your report include all the observations, or did some get rejected?
My report included all my observations.
Observation Question 3—If any observations were rejected, why?
This question is not applicable, because all observations were included in the report.
Data Household solution Color Description Estimated pH PH used for chart
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Dark Green 8-10 9
Tums Extra Strength Antacid (Strawberry) Bluish Purple 6.5-7.2 7.2
Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover Brownish/ Yellow Above 10 10
Clorox Bleach Orange/ Yellow Above 10 10
Tide Laundry Detergent Light purple 6.5-7.2 6.6
Hohes C Orange Juice Pinkish Red 4-6.5 4
Diet Coke Reddish Purple 4-6.5 5.5 Paper Solution Mix Color Description Estimated pH PH used for chart
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Bright Blue with Green around edge 8-10 10
Tums Extra Strength Antacid (Strawberry) Pinkish Purple 6.5-7.2 6.9
Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover Clear with light green around edge Above 10 10
Clorox Bleach Clear with light green around edge Above 10 10
Tide Laundry Detergent Greenish Blue 6.5-7.2 6.8
Hohes C Orange Juice Bright Pinkish Purple 4-6.5 4.5
Diet Coke Light Pinkish purple 4-6.5 5.5 ph Paper with Straight Solution Color Description Estimated pH PH used for chart
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Bright Blue with Green around edge 8-10 10
Tums Extra Strength Antacid (Strawberry) Pinkish Purple 6.5-7.2 6.9
Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover Clear with light green around edge Above 10 10
Clorox Bleach Clear with light green around edge Above 10 10
Tide Laundry Detergent Purplish Blue 6.5-7.2 6.5
Hohes C Orange Juice Bright Pinkish Red 4-6.5 4
Diet Coke Light Pinkish purple 4-6.5 5.5
Results The bleach proved as to why it was such an effective tool to remove stains. It reacted with the Cabbage juice, and quickly changed it to a very light yellow color. Both the Tilex and bleach completely bleached out the pH paper. These are very strong bases that you definitely do not want to have continuous exposure to. Coke is known to be high in acidity, but Hohes C is more acidic.
Conclusions Draw some conclusions on whether your hypothesis was correct.
My initial hypothesis was incorrect to a point. The cleaning products were on the extreme levels when it came to their ph levels. However, I was surprised to see that the German Orange Juice Hohes C (Literal translation “High C”) was the most acidic solution tested.
Conclusion question 1—What further topics could you investigate?
I could further test my hypothesis by increasing the number of household solutions I test. In addition to testing more solutions I could combine solutions to determine if they became how more acidity/ basic there is after combining them.
Conclusion Question 2—Would they require different equipment?
I would need a ph meter to accurately measure the ph level. The litmus paper, and color observation leaves too much to be interpreted. The human effect is removed using the electronic device.
Questions/
Topics for Follow-Up Study Standard Lab Question--How would you change this experiment to get more reliable results?
For starters, I would use an actual color chart rather than the word chart that described colors in generic terms. My colors that resulted did not fit easily into any of the chart colors provided. Next I would and the appropriate base or acid to the water so it was at 7.0 ph prior to boiling the cabbage.
Question 1 – What color changes did you see upon submerging the terminals of the 9-volt battery into the red cabbage broth?
The area around the negative terminal became greenish indication an increase in pH and the area around the positive terminal became red.
Question 2 – Hydroxide ions, OH-, are one of the products that form around the terminals of the 9-volt battery dipped into solution. At which terminal (the positive or negative) did these hydroxide ions form?
The Hydroxide ions formed along the positive Terminal
Question 3 – At what terminal on the 9-volt battery (the positive or negative) did you see the formation of bubbles?
The hydrogen bubbles occurred around the negative terminal.
Question 4 – Describe how you could perform and monitor a neutralization experiment given only the supplies of this experiment.
All you would need to do is to add the direct coked (an acidic solution) to the red cabbage solution until reddish color is obtained. After that you can add the baking soda or antacids to return the pH towards a neutral 7.
Attachments Attached is my chart and some photos from the experiment. Since I was unable to match my colors to the chart as clearly as I would have liked to have been able to.
