Science Lab - 5-1B Properties of Acids and Bases

Purpose - To discover how the properties of acids and bases can be used to classify solutions

Materials - 4 x 6 Spot Plate

               - Masking tape

               - Solutions A, B, C, and D

               - 4 pieces of Mg Ribbon

               - 4 pieces of red litmus paper

               - 4 pieces of blue litmus paper

               - Bromothymol blue solution

               - Indigo carmine solutions

               - Methyl orange solutions

Procedure - Refer to text, page 230

Results - 

Graph of the results

The results of the solutions, after the acid/base indicators were added

Questions - 

 Analyze

1. A, C, D, B

2. I think D is neutral, because when we first put the red litmus paper into the solution, it was red, however after five minutes or so, it turned blue. This might of been because it was mixed with a different chemical.

3. Solution B was more basic, because all the colour changes were more extreme for Solution B

4. Magnesium can be used to distinguish between an acid and a base because if you mix Magnesium with an acid, it will begin to bubble, it will not do this with a base

Conclude and Apply

1. a.)Red litmus - Red

        Blue Litmus - Slight Pink

        Bromothymol Blue - Yellow

        Indigo Carmine - Dark Blue

        Methyl Orange - Deep Red

    b.)Red Litmus - Blue

        Blue Litmus - Light Blue

        Bromothymol Blue - Deep Blue

        Indigo Carmine - Greeny-yellow

        Methyl Orange - Bright Orange

2. If I could only take three tests, I would take red litmus paper, bromothymol blue, and methyl orange. The red litmus paper would give you a very clear definition of if the solution was a acid or a base, and then the two other solutions would give you a greater understanding of the pH levels of both solutions

3. If they dipped the litmus in vinegar, the solution would most likely turn red/pink, since vinegar is an acid

4. The colour of the seawater would most likely be a greeny blue

5. a.) The areas that are more affected by the pH levels are the areas closer to the poles of the earth, antarctica, and the arctic area

    b.) The areas least affected would be the areas closer to the equator

Conclusion -  This experiment helped me understand how acids and bases react to different solutions, which gave me an idea of how much the pH affects the compound. Some of our solutions may of been mixed when we poured them out, also our magnesium ribbon did not react with the acid. These things could easily be fixed. Next time I would like to be able to pick the solutions, and then test to see if its acidic or basic. That way I could further my knowledge of discerning between the two.