Natural Indicator – Red Cabbage

Natural Indicator – Red Cabbage Science Experiment Step 10

Natural Indicator is a cool science experiment for kids which uses an Acid-Base indicator extracted from a natural source- Red Cabbage, there are several natural indicators like Turmeric, Hibiscus, Rose petals, beet-root, Litmus etc. Here we have used Red cabbage juice as a pH indicator as it is easy to make and exhibits a wide range of colors. Some kitchen items like soft-drink, water, baking powder, sugar etc were tested to detect whether they are acidic or basic.

Safety First! Adult Supervision Required. Don’t Eat/Drink your Experiments, Wear safety goggles where ever required

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Materials and tools required.

Materials Required:

• Vinegar
• Water
• Bleach
• Sanitizer
• Sugar Solution
• Lemon Juice
• Washing Powder
• Baking Powder
• Tall Glasses
• Mixer

Video on Youtube for the Experiment

What to Do!

1. Cut a part of red cabbage into thin slices.
2. Put the slices into mixer
3. Add some water in the mixer jar.
4. Turn on the mixer to prepare the juice.
5. Strain the red cabbage juice in the glass.
6. Prepare the solutions to be tested.
7. Place the liquids in the order as shown.
8. Add red cabbage indicator in each glass.
9. Let’s arrange them in order of their pH.
10. You can observe the color changes in each glass.

Images for Instructions

Working Principle of Natural Indicator :

In this experiment, the natural indicator used here is obtained from Red Cabbage. The pigment that gives red cabbage its color is called anthocyanin. This water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes.

Anthocyanin acts as a good indicator of acids and bases, and can be used for a variety of house-hold articles to detect whether they under acidic or basic category. All acidic solutions, having pH less than 7 will turn the indicator into a shade of red color. When added to something that is neutral (neither an acid nor a base), the red cabbage juice will remain of same color, i.e. Purple, and the basic solutions, having pH more than 7, will give a shade of green or blue, when tested with the natural indicator. In the Experiment, the acidic lemon Juice turned Red whereas basic baking powder solution turned green. Therefore, it is possible to determine the pH of a solution based on the color it turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice.

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