In this chemistry lesson students will use an indicator to classify solutions as acidic or alkaline, and learn that universal indicator gives a range of colours in acidic or alkaline solutions.
They will also discover that some plant juices can be used as an indicator and that many household materials are acidic and are not hazardous.
This is a practical experiment that explains the measurement of pH, using red cabbage indicator, to investigate whether common household solutions are acidic or alkaline.
A positive outcome for learners would be understanding that solutions of dyes which show one colour in acids and another in alkalis are called indicators.
The Royal Horticultural Society is a charity established to share the best in gardening. It aims to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more-beautiful place. Get more great resources from the RHS here and on its website at schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/home. You can also follow on Twitter at @The_RHS.
