CHEMISTRY

Chapter 12:
Acid, Bases
and Salts

12.7

pH
Indicator
Introduction

Chemistry, the central science,

is a great branch of Science that
answers our questions to the
changes and reactions of matter
around us. Together, lets enter
Chemistry, the window to a new
world of knowledge with
ecstatic-filled countenance and
travel the educational road.

Objective

Chemistry is a massive branch of

Science, thus, it contains
numerous topics. One of these is
pH Indicators. What is its
purpose? Gently turn and
understand the pages of this
module and surely, no questions
about pH Indicators shall remain
unanswered.

Table of Contents
TITLE

pH Indicator
II
Introduction
III
Objective
IV
Table of Contents
V
Pre-Test

 Lesson Proper
3
Post-Test
Answer Key
Preferences

3
4
5

PRE-TEST
1. What is a chemical substance whose
aqueous solutions are characterized by a
sour taste and the ability to turn blue
litmus red?
a. Acid
b. Ph Indicator
c. Base
d. Sodium
2. What is a substance that, in aqueous
solution, is slippery to the touch, tastes
bitter, changes the colour of indicators
(e.g., turns red litmus paper blue)?
a. Indicators
b. Salts
c. Base
d. Acid
3. What is the meaning of pouvoir
hydrogene?
a. Water genes
b. Ionize water
c. Power of hydrogen
d. Power of water

4. Who proposed in 1909 that the number

in the exponent be used to express
acidity?
a.Bronsted- Lowrey
b.Soren Peter Lauritiz Sorensen
c. Johann Wolfgang
d. Georges Leclanche
5. It is used to make rapid accurate pH
measurements.
a. pH Meter
b. pH Indicator
c. pH Test paper
d. pH Scale

Lesson Proper:
A pH indicator is a halochromic chemical compound that
is added in small amounts to a solution so that the pH
(acidity or basicity) of the solution can be determined
visually. Hence a pH indicator is a chemical detector for
hydronium ions (H3O+) or hydrogen ions (H+) in the
Arrhenius model. Normally, the indicator causes the
colour of the solution to change depending on the pH.
Indicators can also show change in other physical

properties; for example, olfactory indicators show change

in their odor.
At 25 C, considered the standard temperature, the pH
value of a neutral solution is 7.0. Solutions with a pH
value below 7.0 are considered acidic, whereas solutions
with pH value above 7.0 are basic (alkaline). As most
naturally occurring organic compounds are weak
protolytes, carboxylic acids and amines, pH indicators
find many applications in biology and analytical
chemistry. Moreover, pH indicators form one of the three
main types of indicator compounds used in chemical
analysis. For the quantitative analysis of metal cations,
the use of complexometric indicators is preferred,
whereas the third compound class, the redox indicators,
are used in titrations involving a redox reaction as the
basis of the analysis

Theory
In and of themselves, pH indicators are frequently weak
acids or weak bases. The general reaction scheme of a
pH indicator can be formulated as follows:
HInd + H_2O \rightleftharpoons H_3O^+ + Ind^Here HInd stands for the acid form and Ind- for the
conjugate base of the indicator. It is the ratio of these
that determines the color of the solution and that

connects the color to the pH value. For pH indicators that

are weak protolytes, we can write the HendersonHasselbalch equation for them:
\textrm{pH} = \textrm{pK}_{a}+ \log
\frac{[\textrm{Ind}^-]}{[\textrm{HInd}]}
The equation, derived from the acidity constant, states
that when pH equals the pKa value of the indicator, both
species are present in 1:1 ratio. If pH is above the pKa
value, the concentration of the conjugate base is greater
than the concentration of the acid, and the color
associated with the conjugate base dominates. If pH is
below the pKa value, the converse is true.
Usually, the color change is not instantaneous at the pKa
value, but there is a pH range where a mixture of colors is
present. This pH range varies between indicators, but as
a rule of thumb, it falls between the pKa value plus or
minus one. This assumes that solutions retain their color
as long as at least 10% of the other species persists. For
example, if the concentration of the conjugate base is ten
times greater than the concentration of the acid, their
ratio is 10:1, and consequently the pH is pKa + 1.
Conversely, if there is a tenfold excess of the acid with
respect to the base, the ratio is 1:10 and the pH is pKa
1.
For optimal accuracy, the color difference between the
two species should be as clear as possible, and the
narrower the pH range of the color change the better. In
some indicators, such as phenolphthalein, one of the

species is colorless, whereas in other indicators, such as

methyl red, both species confer a color. While pH
indicators work efficiently at their designated pH range,
they are usually destroyed at the extreme ends of the pH
scale due to undesired side-reactions.

APPLICATION

pH measurement with indicator paper.

pH indicators are frequently employed in titrations in analytical chemistry and biology to

determine the extent of a chemical reaction. Because of the subjectivechoice (determination) of
color, pH indicators are susceptible to imprecise readings. For applications requiring precise
measurement of pH, a pH meter is frequently used. Sometimes a blend of different indicators is

used to achieve several smooth color changes over a wide range of pH values. These commercial
indicators (e.g.,universal indicator and Hydrion papers) are used when only rough knowledge of
pH is necessary.
Tabulated below are several common laboratory pH indicators. Indicators usually exhibit
intermediate colors at pH values inside the listed transition range. For example, phenol red
exhibits an orange color between pH 6.8 and pH 8.4. The transition range may shift slightly
depending on the concentration of the indicator in the solution and on the temperature at which it
is used.

Indicator

Low pH color

Transition pH
range

High pH
color

Gentian violet (Methyl violet 10B)

yellow

0.02.0

blue-violet

Malachite green (first transition)

yellow

0.02.0

green

Malachite green (second transition)

green

11.614

colorless

Thymol blue (first transition)

red

1.22.8

yellow

Thymol blue (second transition)

yellow

8.09.6

blue

Methyl yellow

red

2.94.0

yellow

Bromophenol blue

yellow

3.04.6

purple

Congo red

blue-violet

3.05.0

red

Methyl orange

red

3.14.4

yellow

Screened methyl orange (first transition)

red

0.03.2

grey

Indicator

Low pH color

Transition pH
range

High pH
color

Screened methyl orange (second

transition)

grey

3.24.2

green

Bromocresol green

yellow

3.85.4

blue

Methyl red

red

4.46.2

yellow

Azolitmin

red

4.58.3

blue

Bromocresol purple

yellow

5.26.8

purple

Bromothymol blue

yellow

6.07.6

blue

Phenol red

yellow

6.48.0

red

Neutral red

red

6.88.0

yellow

Naphtholphthalein

colorless to
reddish

7.38.7

greenish to blue

Cresol Red

yellow

7.28.8

reddish-purple

Cresolphthalein

colorless

8.29.8

red

Phenolphthalein

colorless

8.310.0

fuchsia

Indicator

Low pH color

Transition pH
range

Thymolphthalein

colorless

9.310.5

Alizarine Yellow R

yellow

10.212.0

High pH
color

blue

red

Precise pH measurement
Absorption spectra of bromocresol green at different
stages of protonation.
An indicator may be used to obtain quite precise
measurements of pH by measuring absorbance
quantitatively at two or more wavelengths. The principle
can be illustrated by taking the indicator to be a simple
acid, HA, which dissociates into H+ and A-.
HA is in equilibrium with H+ + A-

The value of the acid dissociation constant, pKa, must be

known. The molar absorbances, HA and A- of the two
species HA and A- at wavelengths x and y must also
have been determined by previous experiment. Assuming
that Beer's law is obeyed, the measured absorbances Ax
and Ay at the two wavelengths are simply the sum of the
absorbances due to each species.
A_x = [HA]\epsilon^x_{HA} + [A^-]\epsilon^x_{A^-}
A_y = [HA]\epsilon^y_{HA} + [A^-]\epsilon^y_{A^-}
These are two equation in the two concentrations [HA]
and [A-]. Once solved, the pH is obtained as
\textrm{pH} = \textrm{pK}_{a}+ \log
\frac{[\textrm{A}^-]}{[\textrm{HA}]}
If measurements are made at more than two wavelengths
the concentrations [HA] and [A-] can be calculated by
linear least squares. In fact a whole spectrum may be
used for this purpose. The process is illustrated for the
indicator bromocresol green. The observed spectrum
(green) is the sum of the spectra of HA (gold) and of A(blue), weighted for the concentration of the two species.
When a single indicator is used this method is limited to
measurements in the pH range pKa 1, but this range
can be extended by using mixtures of two or more
indicators. Because indicators have intense absorption
spectra the indicator concentration is relatively low so
that it can usually be assumed that the indicator itself
has negligible effect on pH.

Equivalence point
In acid-base titrations, an unfitting pH
indicator may induce a color change in
the indicator-containing solution before or
after the actual equivalence point. As a
result, different equivalence points for a
solution can be concluded based on the
pH indicator used. This is because the
slightest color change of the indicatorcontaining solution suggests the
equivalence point has been reached.
Therefore, the most suitable pH indicator
has an effective pH range, where the

change in color is apparent, that

encompasses the pH of the equivalence
point of the solution being titrated.

Naturally occurring pH indicators

Many plants or plant parts contain chemicals from the naturallycolored anthocyanin family of compounds. They are red in acidic
solutions and blue in basic. Anthocyanins can be extracted with
water or other solvents from a multitude of colored plants or plant
parts, including from leaves (red cabbage); flowers
(geranium, poppy, or rose petals); berries
(blueberries, blackcurrant); and stems (rhubarb). Extracting
anthocyanins from household plants, especially red cabbage, to
form a crude pH indicator is a popular introductory chemistry
demonstration.
Litmus, used by alchemists in the Middle Ages and still readily
available, is a naturally occurring pH indicator made from a
mixture of lichen species, particularly Roccella tinctoria. The
word litmusis literally from 'colored moss' in Old Norse (see Litr).
The color changes between red in acid solutions and blue in
alkalis. The term 'litmus test' has become a widely used metaphor
for any test that purports to distinguish authoritatively between
alternatives.
Hydrangea macrophylla flowers can change color depending on
soil acidity. In acid soils, chemical reactions occur in the soil that
make aluminium available to these plants, turning the flowers
blue. In alkaline soils, these reactions cannot occur and therefore
aluminium is not taken up by the plant. As a result, the flowers
remain pink.
Indicator

Low pH color

High pH color

Hydrangea flowers

blue

pink to purple

Anthocyanins

red

blue

Litmus

red

blue

Hydrangea in acid soil

Hydrangea in alkaline soil

A gradient of red cabbage extract pH indicator from acidic solution on the left to basic on the right.

Post- Test

Answer Key:
Pre- Test
1. A
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. A
Post Test

references:
1.^ Steven S. Zumdahl (2009). Chemical
Principles (6th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin
Company. pp. 319324.

Long indicator list

(French) Complete indicator list PDF

2.
Chemistry; Exploring Life Through
Science
3.^ "What is Chemistry?". Chemweb.ucc.ie.
Retrieved 2011-06-12.
4.Jump up^ Chemistry. (n.d.). MerriamWebster's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved August
19, 2007.
5.Jump up^ Theodore L. Brown, H. Eugene
Lemay, Bruce Edward Bursten, H.
Lemay. Chemistry: The Central Science.
Prentice Hall; 8 edition (1999). ISBN 0-13010310-1. Pages 34.