Subject: Re: Acids and Bases

From: [email-masked] (MARSHALL DUDLEY)
Date: Wed, 21 May 1996 11:54 -0500 (EST)

Peter Swindells <[email-masked]> writes:

-> anonymous.user@where?.com wrote:
-> >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
->
-> 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.
 
I agree.  Red, pink and blue carnations are great for that.  The resulting
liquid will turn blue with bases and red/pink with acid.  A very interesting
thing is that redish violet carnations will turn sky blue when you dry them.
I figure it is a shift toward the basic side when drying, but don't know why.
 
Marshall