Question

Akosua has observed that anytime she drinks sobolo, her stool appears dark green. On one occasion

Akosua observed that her stool, which appeared dark green, turned quickly to bright red upon mixing with the perchloric acid-treated WC water.

i. What about the sobolo drink (bright red) that made the stool of Akosua green?


ii. Why did the stool of Akosua, which appeared green because she took sobolo drink, turn into

bright red upon mixing with the acidic WC water?


iii. Suggest a practical use of sobolo drink in the identification of chemicals in the science laboratory .

Answer 1

i. Sobolo is a Ghanian drink that is produced from red hibiscus flower that has an average pH of 6.7

It contains cyanidin and anthocyanins, which is a red pigment that is red in an acidic medium and changes green when introduced in a basic medium that has a high pH

The pH at the rectum of the digestive system = 5 to 8 (Slightly basic)

Therefore, what made the stool of Akosua green is that the sobolo drink changes to green in basic solution

ii. The stool which appeared green because she took sobolo turn into bright red upon mixing with the acidic WC water because of the presence of anthocyanins in sobolo, it turns red in an acidic medium

iii. Sobolo which turns green, or blue in a basic medium and red in an acidic medium can be used as a litmus solution to test the pH of a given substance

Step-by-step explanation:

Sobolo or soobolo in Ghana is a name for the Hibiscus tea or tisane, which is made from calyces of the hibiscus plant, and has a sour (tangy) taste and appears bright red in color