Question

You are cleaning up a lab when you see a beaker of a clear substance that is unlabeled. Your teacher tells you that if you can figure out what is in the beaker she’ll give you some bonus points (WHOOHOO) so you get right to work and start by testing the pH. You first test, with pH paper ranging from 0-14 turns up a bright yellow color. You think you could get some more information so you decide to use the litmus paper that ranges from 4.5 - 7.5. When dipped into the sample, the paper turns up a very very dark purple - almost black. You’ve seen these results before - you know what’s in the mystery beaker!

Is the substance in the beaker? acidic or alkaline

Answer 1

The substance in the beaker is alkaline, as indicated by the yellow color change on the pH paper and the very dark purple color on the litmus paper, showing a higher level of basicity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The clear substance in the beaker is likely alkaline (basic). When you first tested the pH with the pH paper ranging from 0-14, the paper turned a bright yellow color. This suggests that the substance has a pH level above 7, which is the neutral point. You then used litmus paper that ranges from 4.5 to 7.5, and the paper turned a very dark purple, almost black.

Since litmus paper tends to turn blue in the presence of a base and red in the presence of an acid, and since the color change was darker, this would suggest a more intense level of basicity. In a laboratory setting, pH indicators like litmus or pH paper are commonly used to estimate the pH of a solution.