Create Your Own Indicator

We have studied K's extensively this term with a high concentration of pH as an easy way to calculate these. These calculations are very easy to do in a lab with proper equipment and meteres. You however, will not always have the meters etc. at your disposal. Over the next few weeks you need to develop a scheme using materials around your home to determine the pH of various substances. You have done a similar activity in class using red cabbage already.

You need to develop a home pH test kit; directions and a solution, test paper or some other way to test a large rangs of pH's ranging from 2 - 12. You should use a common substance other than red cabbage. You may find that a combination of extracts is needed to give precise reading through this pH range. For the purpose of development you may borrow a pH meter from school or create your own meter using red cabbage as we did in class. You will submit your procedure, data, and recommendations along with detailed instructions for use as well as a sample of the indicator. Be sure to try your indicators on home products as well as "pure samples" if you create these. Be conscience of your controlled variables as well as the obvious independent and dependent variable throughout this work.

I would expect each of you to have a unique set of information and procedure. Remember how you reach your conclusions is often equally or more important than the conclusion itself.