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Colour changing chemistry

Rowena Fletcher-Wood
rowena.fletcherwood@gmail.com
ECG Bulletin July 2021
Make your own universal indicator in this classic kitchen experiment to test for acids and alkalis.

Acids and alkalis in the environment make a big difference. Acid rain dissolves rocks and harms plants. Excessive acidity in the oceans is eating away at our coral reefs and causing sea creatures to migrate. It’s the job of environmental chemists to test the pH of samples and to investigate the effect on people and living organisms.
Picture
Instructions
  1. Under supervision, boil the cabbage and keep the water (you can eat the cabbage).
  2. Once cool, pour a little into glasses.
  3. Add things from your kitchen to make different colours.

Challenge
Make a rainbow! Can you work out from the colours what is acidic and what is alkaline?

Try
Lemon juice
Vinegar
Bicarbonate of soda
Fizzy drinks
Sugar
…and anything else you can think of!

Reference
N. Chigurupati et al., ‘Evaluation of red cabbage dye as a potential natural color for pharmaceutical use’, International Journal of Pharmaceutics. (2002) 241  293–299.

Download a copy of this activity sheet

colour_changing_chemistry.pdf
File Size: 1122 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture

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  • Home
  • About
    • Committee
    • Annual reports
  • Environmental Briefs
  • Distinguished Guest Lectures
    • 2022 Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment
    • 2019 Radioactive Waste Disposal >
      • Juliet Long
    • 2018 Biopollution: Antimicrobial resistance in the environment >
      • Andrew Singer
      • Celia Manaia
    • 2017 Inside the Engine >
      • Frank Kelly
      • Claire Holman
      • Jacqui Hamilton
      • Simon Birkett
    • 2016 Geoengineering >
      • Alan Robock
      • Joanna Haigh
      • David Santillo
      • Mike Stephenson
    • 2015 Nanomaterials >
      • Eugenia Valsami-Jones
      • Debora F Rodrigues
      • David Spurgeon
    • 2014 Plastic debris in the ocean >
      • Richard Thompson
      • Norman Billingham
    • 2013 Rare earths and other scarce metals >
      • Thomas Graedel
      • David Merriman
      • Michael Pitts
      • Andrea Sella
      • Adrian Chapman
    • 2012 Energy, waste and resources >
      • RAFFAELLA VILLA
      • PAUL WILLIAMS
      • Kris Wadrop
    • 2011 The Nitrogen Cycle – in a fix?
    • 2010 Technology and the use of coal
    • 2009 The future of water >
      • J.A. (Tony) Allen
      • John W. Sawkins
    • 2008 The Science of Carbon Trading >
      • Jon Lovett
      • Matthew Owen
      • Terry barker
      • Nigel Mortimer
    • 2007 Environmental chemistry in the Polar Regions >
      • Eric Wolff
      • Tim JICKELLS
      • Anna Jones
    • 2006 The impact of climate change on air quality >
      • Michael Pilling
      • GUANG ZENG
    • 2005 DGL Metals in the environment: estimation, health impacts and toxicology
    • 2004 Environmental Chemistry from Space
  • Articles, reviews & updates
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • Updates
  • Meetings
    • Upcoming meetings
    • Meeting reports
  • Resources
  • Professional Qualifications
  • Index