A colorful lab turned into an exciting learning experience for our third-grade scientist in Dr. Frasinelli's class.
For the experiment, the students tested a variety of liquids, including vinegar, Pepto Bismol, mouth wash and orange juice, using a pH scale to decipher if the liquid was an acid or a base. To start the lab, Dr. Frassinelli boiled red cabbage in water, so the color in the leaves would come off, turning it purple. Then, the students slipped some drops of the purple liquid into their test tubes.
From the results, the students learned if the liquid turns pink or red, it's an acid. If it turns blue or green, it's a base. Using the data collecting skills they've built over the year, the students matched the color of the liquids with the pH scale provided in the lab, with each color's corresponding number.
"Seven equaled neutral and below seven equaled acid," Ayden Davillier ''31 shared. "We also learned that above seven equaled a base and a "six" is a weak acid, a "five" is a stronger acid than a six. A "4" is a stronger acid than a 5, and so on. We kept records of all liquids in different test tubes. The results are in our data tables for lab. The color changes were exciting, too!"