Red+Cabbage+Indicator


 * Red Cabbage Indicator**

This experiment used the red cabbage in order to indicate if the solutions added were acids or bases. Since red cabbages contain a molecule called anthocyanins, which when added into water, will change color if the amount of H+ or OH- changes. Water is neutral since it consists of equal parts of H+ and OH-. This is shown by: H2O --> H+ + OH-. When an acid is added to the solution, the amount of H+ increases, such as adding HCl. This will change the molecular structure of anthocyanins and cause them to react and change color into a reddish pink. The same thing happens when adding a base such as NaOH, the level of OH- will increase, causing the anthocyanins to react and change color into a greenish yellow.

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