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January 08, 2018 3 min read
A kitchen acid test is always fun because of the color changes. But more than that, this hands-on science activity is a great way to show your kids a bit about the chemistry of acids and bases!
For this experiment, you will need to make your own indicator. To do this you will need:
Here is how to make your own red cabbage indicator solution:
Once the red cabbage indicator solution cools, it is ready to use.
Now, you are ready to do you kitchen acid test. The first step is to gather a few supplies.
You will need:
Safety Note: Although there are many safe acids and bases in your kitchen, as a general rule you should avoid touching acids or bases without the proper protection!
Here are the steps to follow for your kitchen acid test:
Here is a look at what happened in your kitchen acid test:
A typical kitchen is full of weak acids, such as vinegar, and weak bases, such as baking soda. Acids normally taste sour and can be corrosive if they are strong enough. The same is true for bases, except they feel slippery.
Acids and bases can be very harmful, so we never use a taste or touch test to determine an acid or a base. Instead, we use an indicator solution. In the kitchen, red cabbage can be used as an indicator, meaning that it changed color in the presence of an acid or a base. And that is exactly what we did in this kitchen acid test.
You can also use cranberry or blueberry juice as an indicator, but the change is not as colorful as the one you get with red cabbage juice!
Chemistry can be fun, especially if it’s introduced early in life through experimentation. Here are a few more articles to help you with chemistry in your homeschool:
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