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Name: Date: 09/02/2023

Section: BSN 1-D Instructor:
Group Number: Score:

LABORATORY 3: ACIDS, BASES, AND pH

LABORATORY OBJECTIVES

At the end of the laboratory experiment the learners should be able to:
1. Classify substance as acidic or basic by using pH papers and pH meter.
2. Test the acidic or basic character of solution by using pH indicators.
3. Calculate pH of a solution, and alternatively, hydronium, and ion concentrations.

INTRODUCTION

An acid is any hydrogen-containing substance that is capable

of donating a proton (hydrogen ion) to another substance. A base
is a molecule or ion able to accept a hydrogen ion from an acid.
Acidic substances are usually identified by their sour taste. An acid
is basically a molecule which can donate an H+ ion and can remain
energetically favourable after a loss of H+. Acids are known to turn
blue litmus red.
Bases, on the other hand, are characterized by a bitter taste
and a slippery texture. A base that can be dissolved in water is
referred to as an alkali. When these substances chemically react with
acids, they yield salts. Bases are known to turn red litmus blue.
Acids have long been recognized as a distinctive class of compounds whose aqueous solutions exhibit
the following properties:
• Acids are corrosive in nature.
• They are good conductors of electricity.
• Their pH values are always less than 7.
• When reacted with metals, these substances produce hydrogen gas.

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Acids are sour-tasting substances. Acidic solutions have a pH less than 7, with lower pH values corresponding to
increasing acidity. Common examples of acids include acetic acid (in vinegar), sulfuric acid (used in car batteries),
and tartaric acid (used in baking).
There are three common definitions for acids:
• Arrhenius acid: any substances that increases the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+) in solution.
• Brønsted-Lowry acid: any substance that can act as a proton donor.
• Lewis acid: any substance that can accept a pair of electrons.

Acid Strength and Strong Acids

The strength of an acid refers to how readily an acid will lose or donate a proton, oftentimes in solution. A
stronger acid more readily ionizes, or dissociates, in a solution than a weaker acid. The six common strong
acids are:
• hydrochloric acid (HCl)
• hydrobromic acid (HBr)
• hydroiodic acid (HI)
• sulfuric acid (H2SO4; only the first proton is considered strongly acidic)
• nitric acid (HNO3)
• perchloric acid (HClO4)
Some properties, like a bitter taste, are owned by all bases. The bases feel slippery, too. Dream on what slippery
soap looks like. And this is a foundation. Furthermore, when immersed in water, bases conduct electricity because
they consist of charged particles in the solution.

• They are found to have a soapy texture when touched.

• These substances release hydroxide ions (OH– ions) when dissolved in water.
• In their aqueous solutions, bases act as good conductors of electricity.
• The pH values corresponding to bases are always greater than 7.
• Bases are bitter-tasting substances which have the ability to turn red litmus paper blue.
There are three common definitions of bases:
• Arrhenius base: any compound that donates an hydroxide ion (OH–) in solution.
• Brønsted-Lowry base: any compound capable of accepting a proton.
• Lewis base: any compound capable of donating an electron pair.
• In water, basic solutions will have a pH between 7-14.

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College
Most alkali metal and some alkaline earth metal hydroxides are strong bases in solution. These include:
• sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
• potassium hydroxide (KOH)
• lithium hydroxide (LiOH)
• rubidium hydroxide (RbOH)
• cesium hydroxide (CsOH)
• calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)
• barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)2)
• strontium hydroxide (Sr(OH)2)
Neutral Substances
The neutral substance is a substance which has no acid or base properties, has
the same amount of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, and does not modify the colour
of the litmus surface.
• These substances do not display any acidic or basic characteristics.
• Their pH values approximate to 7.
• Neutral substances have no effect on red or blue litmus paper.
• The pH of pure water is exactly 7.
• Examples: Water, Common salt (NaCl)

Define pH:

pH is defined as the negative logarithm (base ten) of hydrogen ion concentration

in moles/ liter.

We can measure the pH value from 0 to 14 on a pH scale. The pH value for an

acidic solution is always less than 7 and the pH for a basic solution is always
greater than 7. The pH of a neutral solution is 7. The higher the concentration of
H+ ions, the lower is the pH value. The increase of pH from 7 to 14 indicates the
increase in the concentration of OH- ions.

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College
The acidic and basic nature of various substances can be studied using different acid-base indicators. Acidic and
basic substances can be identified by noting the change in the color of the indicator in the acidic and basic medium.
Some commonly used acid-base indicators are given below.
INDICATOR ACIDIC MEDIUM BASIC MEDIUM
Methyl orange Orange-red Yellow
Phenolphthalein Colorless Pink
Methyl red Red Yellow
Phenol red Yellow Red

MATERIALS

APPARATUS and EQUIPMENT CHEMICALS and REAGENTS

• pH papers • Lemon Juice

• pH meter • Water
• Test tubes • Milk
• Test tube rack • Coffee
• Pipettes ( 5mL, 10 mL) • Baking Soda
• Erlenmeyer flask • Sugar Solution
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Tea

EXPERIMENTS

REAL LABORATORY PROCEDURES

A. Determination of pH using Litmus paper

1. Prepare ten tubes and label each with samples below.

2. Place 3 mL each of the samples to the corresponding tubes.
3. Insert or drop a pH paper to each test tube.
4. Observe if there is or there is no color change in the pH paper.
5. Record results and interpretations.

B. Determination of pH using pH METER / pH electrode

1. Place 10 mL of the sample and determine the pH of the given samples using pH meter.
2. Record results and interpretations in the table provided below

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College
 YouTube Virtual Laboratory
A, Determination of pH using Litmus paper
Title: Blue and Red Litmus paper test
Username: Penreach NGO
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BfxiSJ5-hY&t=124s

B. Determination of pH using pH METER / pH electrode

Title: pH of 10 Common Household Liquids | Chemistry | acid or base | pH scale
Username: Socratica
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHQOEOrcajg

OBSERVATIONS

A. Determination of pH using LITMUS PAPER

Substance Blue Litmus paper Red Litmus paper Interpretation

1. Lemon Juice BLUE TO RED no change acidic
2. Water NO CHANGE no change neutral
3. Milk change to purple. no change slightly acidic
4. Coffee change to red. no change acidic
5. Baking Soda no change change to blue basic
6. Sugar Solution no change no change neutral
7. Salt change to red. no change acidic
8. Vinegar change to red no change acidic
9. Tea change to red no change acidic

B. Determination of pH using pH METER / pH electrode

Substance ph Value Interpretation
1. Tap water 7.45 neutral
2. Coffee 5.07 acidic
3. Window cleaner 9.98 basic
4. Soda /Cola 2.87 acidic
5. Moisturizer 5.24 acidic
6. Vinegar 2.27 acidic
7. Sriracha 3.93 acidic
8. Shampoo 6.10 acidic
9. Milk 6.58 slightly acidic close to neutral
10. Lemon Juice 2.42 acidic

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College
 LEARNING EVALUATION
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Fill the necessary information.
1. Different parts of the human body have different pH levels. Within the digestive system, pH values range from
extremely acidic to slightly alkaline.
Body part/fluid Role pH level
Saliva The liquid aids digestion, moistens your mouth, reduces infections in the mouth normal range 6.2-7.6
Stomach It produces enzymes and digestive juices breaks down food. . acidic (1.5 to 3.5)
Small intestine helps to further digest food coming from the stomach 7.4
Large intestine absorbs water and salts from the material that has not been digested as food. 6.1–7.5
Skin barrier against mechanical, thermal and physical injury and hazardous substances. 4.7 and 5.75
Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to all the parts of the body so they can keep working. 7.35 to 7.45
Vaginal fluid keep vaginal tissues healthy, lubrication and protect against infection and irritation. 3.8 and 5.0

2. What is alkalosis? What causes the alkalosis?

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Alkalosis is a condition in which the body fluids have excess base.
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Loss of stomach acids. This is the most common cause of metabolic alkalosis. It's usually brought on by
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vomiting or suction through a nose-feeding tube. The gastric juices have a high content of hydrochloric acid, a
strong acid. Its loss causes an increase in the alkalinity of the blood.
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3. What is acidosis? What causes the acidosis?
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Acidosis is a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids. Acidosis is caused by
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an overproduction of acid that builds up in the blood or an excessive loss of bicarbonate from the
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blood (metabolic acidosis) or by a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood that results from poor
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lung function or depressed breathing (respiratory acidosis).
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4. Leslie and her lab mates are given an assortment of food and beverage based lab samples. They are asked to
identify each sample as either acidic or basic and list all characteristics of that sample that helped them identify it as
one or the other. Their first sample is lemon juice which they have determined to be acidic. Which of the following is
NOT a characteristic of lemon juice they would have recorded in their data table?
a. turned blue litmus paper to red
b. A pH of 2
c. Slippery to touch
d. Sour to taste

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College
5. What is the role of the lungs in controlling the balance of acid-base in the body?
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The pulmonary system adjusts pH using carbon dioxide; upon expiration, carbon dioxide is
____________________________________________________________________________________________
projected into the environment. Due to carbon dioxide forming carbonic acid in the body when
____________________________________________________________________________________________
combining with water, the amount of carbon dioxide expired can cause pH to increase or
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decrease.
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6. What is the role of the kidney in controlling the balance of acid-base in the body?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
The kidneys have two main ways to maintain acid-base balance - their cells reabsorb
____________________________________________________________________________________________
bicarbonate HCO3 from the urine back to the blood and they secrete hydrogen H+ ions into the
____________________________________________________________________________________________
urine. By adjusting the amounts reabsorbed and secreted, they balance the bloodstream's pH.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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CONCLUSION

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Caintic, K.J. (2021). BIOCHEMISTRY Laboratory Manual (1st ed.). Davao City: Brokenshire College