Experiment 16: Determination of pH

Danielle Miller

SCH 101 01

November 22nd, 2016

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I. TITLE: Experiment 16: Determination of pH

II. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this experiment is to determine the pH, also called the

hydrogen ion concentration of several liquids and solutions.

III. THEORY: pH is the concentration of hydrogen ions in a given liquid or solution. pH

can be ranges from acidic to neutral to basic. Acids have a pH of 1, anything neutral

has a pH of 7 and bases have a pH of 14. pH is important in many aspects, including

bodily functions, even a slight change can disrupt the entire system. To determine pH

mathematically, the formula used is pH= − log[𝐻 + ]. Experimentally, pH can be

determined in three ways. To estimate pH, an indicator is used. Indicators change

color due to the fact that they are weak acids being neutralized. Litmus paper is a

common indicator as it is coated in a solution that changes to a scale of colors from red,

which is acidic, to yellow, which is neutral, to green, which is basic. A universal

indicator includes a solution of various components which also changes color in

response to an acid or a base. The universal indicator ranges from 4 to 10, from red to

purple. The most accurate reading comes from the results from a pH meter. A pH meter

measures the conductivity of a solution between two electrodes placed in the tested

solution.

IV. PROCEDURE: Gloves were worn. For the indicator paper, the paper was arranged

two centimeters apart. A drop of the solution to be tested was added to the strip and

the resulting color was compared to the given color code. For the universal indicator

solution, one drop of indicator solution was deposited on a clean, dry spot plate. 0.5

mL of solution was added and the color was compared to the color chart. For the pH

meter, the meter was cleaned and prepared according to given instructions. The meter
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was standardized with a buffer solution closest to the solution to be tested. The meter

was used according to the instructions provided.

V. OBSERVATIONS:

Color and pH using:

Solution or pH meter reading
substance Indicator paper Universal indicator

Tap water 5- orange 7.0-green 8.66

Distilled water 7-yellow 7.0-green 8.79

0.01 M HCl 1-red 4.0-red 1.68

0.01 M Acetic acid 4-orange 4.0-red 3.15

Household vinegar 2-pink 4.0-red 2.39

0.01 M NaOH 9-light green 10.0-purple 10.82

0.01 M ammonia 9-light green 10.0-purple 10.20

Household ammonia 9-light green 9.0-blue 10.13

Soap solution 7- yellow 6.0-yellow 7.87

Saliva 7-yellow 7.0-green 7.12

Mr. Clean 10- dark green 10.0-purple 11.0

Mouthwash 5-orange 6.0-yellow 5.54

VI. POST-LAB QUESTIONS:

1. The pH for hydrochloric acid and acetic acid was not the same. Hydrochloric acid

had a pH of around 1 making it a very strong acid, while acetic acid had a pH of 4,

making it an acid, but a weaker one.

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2. NaOH and NH3 had the same results on the universal indicator but the pH meter

reading shows NaOH has a pH of 10.82 while NH3 had a pH of 10.20. NaOH is

more basic due to this. NaOH is a stronger base.