Question

A student was provided with a beaker of sulfuric acid. When a small piece of agar jelly was put into the beaker of dilute sulfuric acid, it gradually changed color.

(a) Suggest what color the agar jelly became after it changed color in the dilute sulfuric acid. It started orange and changed to what?
A) Red
B) Green
C) Yellow
D) Brown

Answer 1

The agar jelly likely turned yellow after being placed in dilute sulfuric acid, indicating an acidic condition typical of such a solution.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a small piece of agar jelly, which started orange in color, is put into a beaker of dilute sulfuric acid, it is likely that the jelly contained an acid-base indicator that changes color in response to pH changes. Considering that dilute sulfuric acid is acidic, with a hydronium ion concentration that is high, the color change observed would be related to this pH level. Given the options provided, and knowing how acid-base indicators like methyl orange operate, the agar jelly would likely turn yellow in color (Option C), as methyl orange turns yellow in acidic conditions, specifically when the pH is below 3.1, which is the range we expect with dilute sulfuric acid.