Subject: Acids and Bases

From: anonymous.user@where?.com
Date: 14 May 1996 02:53:20 GMT

I am working on a project for my chemistry class.  I am boiling plants in
water from my yard and now want to observe the reaction of the liquid
produced when applied to litmus paper, then record what happens when the
liquid is placed on hydrion paper, and finally what happens to the color
of the different liquids when I add either HCl and NaOH.

Does anyone have any resource information or Web sites I can refer to on
this subject?

Karlsson

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From: Peter Swindells <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 May 1996 15:21:40 GMT

>Does anyone have any resource information or Web sites I can refer to on

I think the last part of your assignment will produce the most ineresting 
results.  Like most living things, plants operate fairly close to pH 7, 
so most will not contain acids or bases strong enough to affect litmus.  
However, they do contain a lot of weak acids and bases, many of them 
coloured and able to act as indicators (litmus is itself a plant 
extract).  I know beetroot, for example, turns yellow in basic solution.

PETE