To find out what changes of the pH take place when a base is neutralizing an acid.

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Subject: Chemistry

Objective:

To find out what changes of the pH take place when a base is neutralizing an acid

Introduction:

Bases are substances which accept hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution. They react with acids, which release hydrogen ions. When they react, the base is neutralizing the acid. Examples of bases are Ammonia and limewater. I am going to find out what happens to the acidity of the solution when an acid is being neutralized by a base.

The acidity or alkalinity of an acid can be described using a pH scale. When a universal indicator is put into the acid, it will change different colour according to the acidity of the solution. You can find out the pH when you find the correspondent colour in the pH chart. The pH range lies from 0 to 14, an acidic solution has a pH below 7, and a basic solution has a pH above 7.  A neutralised solution has a pH of 7. In this experiment I am going to measure the pH of the acidic solution when certain amounts of lime are added, lime is a basic substance.    

When a base neutralizes an acid,

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Acid + Base                                  Salt + Water

According to this theory, I expect that the vinegar, which is an acid in the experiment, will be gradually neutralized by a base. When it is being neutralized, the pH will be higher, so I expect the color will change towards the neutral color of pH 7, which is green, then the pH will be higher again and gradually turns to purple, which presents a high pH.

Strongly Acidic                                                        Strongly Alkaline

pH1                                                                                       pH14                                                                                                                                                

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