Scribd
Upload
223 views3 pages

Indicators and PH Scale

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with acidic solutions having a pH less than 7 and alkaline solutions having a pH greater than 7. Indicators are used to determine if a solution is acidic or alkaline - litmus paper turns red in acid and blue in alkali, while universal indicator reveals the strength of acidity or alkalinity based on color changes from red to purple to blue to green. The pH scale precisely measures the acidity or alkalinity of solutions on a scale from 0 to 14.

Uploaded by

Toni - Ann Irving
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
223 views3 pages

Indicators and PH Scale

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with acidic solutions having a pH less than 7 and alkaline solutions having a pH greater than 7. Indicators are used to determine if a solution is acidic or alkaline - litmus paper turns red in acid and blue in alkali, while universal indicator reveals the strength of acidity or alkalinity based on color changes from red to purple to blue to green. The pH scale precisely measures the acidity or alkalinity of solutions on a scale from 0 to 14.

Uploaded by

Toni - Ann Irving
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Indicators and pH scale

The pH runs from 0 (Strongly Acidic) through 7 (Neutral) to 14 (Strongly Alkaline). Salts are
made when acids and bases react together. The particular salt formed depends upon the acid and
base used.

Solutions can be acidic, alkaline or neutral:

we get an acidic solution when an acid is dissolved in water


we get an alkaline solution when an alkali is dissolved in water
solutions that are neither acidic nor alkaline are neutral
Pure water is neutral, and so is petrol.

Indicator: An indicator is a substance that changes colour when it is added to acidic or alkaline
solutions. You can prepare homemade indicators from red cabbage or beetroot juice.

Types of Indicators

1. Litmus Papers
2. Universal Indicators

 Litmus

Litmus indicator solution turns red in acidic solutions and blue in alkaline solutions. It turns
purple in neutral solutions.

Litmus paper is usually more reliable, and comes as red litmus paper and blue litmus paper. The
table shows the colour changes it can make.
Red Litmus Blue Litmus

Acidic solution Stays red Turns red

Neutral solution Stays red Stays blue

Alkaline solution Turns blue Stays blue

 Universal indicator and the pH Scale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQw-_1jLzs

Universal indicator is supplied as a solution or as universal indicator paper. It is a mixture of


several different indicators. Unlike litmus, universal indicator can show us how strongly acidic
or alkaline a solution is, not just that the solution is acidic or alkaline. This is measured using
the pH scale, which runs from pH 0 to pH 14.

Universal indicator has many different colour changes, from red for strongly acidic solutions to
dark purple for strongly alkaline solutions. In the middle, neutral pH 7 is indicated by green.

Colour chart of universal indicator colours at different pH values


When you use universal indicator paper, you get more accurate results if you only put a small
spot of the test solution on the paper, and then leave the colour to develop for about 30 seconds
before comparing it with the colour chart.

These are the important points about the pH scale:

neutral solutions are pH 7 exactly

acidic solutions have pH values less than 7

alkaline solutions have pH values more than 7.

the closer to pH 0 you go, the more strongly acidic a solution is.

the closer to pH 14 you go, the more strongly alkaline a solution is.

You might also like