More Chemistry Labs...

Emily has been learning about acids and bases in her chemistry book. She knows an acid and a base react to form a salt and water. She also learned about indicators and how they can be used to determine if a solution is acidic or basic. In my Chemistry labs in college I think we just used litmus paper... but in our lab at home we got to make our own indicator from red cabbage. You have to boil the red cabbage and strain it, keeping the liquid. And yes, it was a stinky process! But stinkiness aside, it actually worked. When we added the cabbage indicator to lemon juice, it turned pink to indicate an acid was present. And when we added it to baking soda water, it turned green to indicate the presense of a base.