Colourful Chemistry: Chemistry of UNIVERSAL INDICATOR

Source - James Kennedy

Back in the day, we didn't get a whole lot of science educational content on television. It was pretty much just Mr Wizard, and by the time I was watching him, he was in reruns on Nickelodeon.



If you haven't seen Mr Wizard, you should check it out before watching Sam Rockwell's science skit on Saturday Night Live.



There certainly are days when that feels all too familiar. Thankfully, I don't drop the language that Sam Rockwell did.

But I digress...

In that first video up there, Mr Wizard explains to his young assistant how you can check the pH of a solution using an indicator solution of red cabbage juice. I've done the red cabbage experiment, and it's a blast. The cabbage contains anthocyanins that change color depending on the pH.

In the chemistry lab, though, we rarely use red cabbage juice. Yes, some science suppliers will sell it, but most would much rather sell a solution of universal indicator, made up of a solution of four indicators that produce a lovely and in-order rainbow of colors as the pH increases.

Thanks, by the way, to James Kennedy for putting the top-most infographic together.