| In today's Elementary Science Fair Project we are | | | | "litmus" papers |
| going to make our own "Litmus" paper and then we | | | | What you will need for this elementary science fair |
| are going to use it. Do you know what "Litmus" paper | | | | project: |
| is and what it is used for? Yes, it is the paper used in | | | | - Your "litmus" paper |
| chemical laboratories to test for acid or alkali, it | | | | - A little bit of leman juice in a small bottle |
| changes color and that is how you can see whether a | | | | - A little bit of grapefruit juice in a small bottle |
| substance is acid or alkali. The litmus paper turns | | | | - A little bit of pineapple juice in a small bottle |
| red-pink in acid and green in alkali. This is an easy and | | | | - Some vinegar in a small bottle |
| fun Elementary Science Fair Project. Because there is | | | | - A little bit of dissolved baking soda in a small bottle |
| some boiling involved, this experiment should be done | | | | - Some milk in a small bottle |
| under adult supervision. | | | | - A little rubbing alcohol in a small bottle |
| This is what you need to make your "Litmus" paper: | | | | - Some soap in a small bottle |
| - Some grated fresh red cabbage | | | | - Oil in a small bottle |
| - Water, enough to fill your jar | | | | - A small medicine dropper |
| - Paper towels, 2" strips | | | | - Sticker labels |
| - A wide-mouthed jar | | | | - A black felt tipped pen |
| - Other fruits, flowers and vegetables | | | | This is what you have to do: |
| How to do it: | | | | |
| | | | 1. Start with your "cabbage litmus" paper and drop a |
| 1. Boil the cabbage in the water for about 10 minutes. | | | | little bit of each onto your paper. |
| 2. Let it cool down. | | | | 2. Remember to wash your dropper after each one. |
| 3. Strain it into a wide-mouthed jar. | | | | 3. You will see that the ones that are acid will turn pink. |
| 4. Take your 2" strips of paper towels and soak it in | | | | 4. The ones that turn the litmus paper green are call |
| the juice for a minute. | | | | "bases" and are alkaline. |
| 5. Let the strips of paper dry. | | | | 5. With your stickers, mark each one clearly as either |
| 6. You now have your "Litmus" paper that you can | | | | acid or alkaline. |
| use. | | | | 6. Now you place a little drop of all your juices onto |
| 7. Now make paper in the same way with different | | | | your other "litmus" papers and record the color |
| substance such as fruits, flowers and vegetables. | | | | changes. |
| When we start testing, you will see that the color | | | | 7. Now you know what color each of the alternative |
| changes are different and because of what you see | | | | "litmus" papers turn for acid and for alkaline |
| with the cabbage "litmus" paper, you'll be able to | | | | substances. |
| determine what color of your alternative "litmus" paper | | | | This is a fun elementary science project and very |
| shows acid and what color shows you an alkali. | | | | easy to do. |
| Now we are going to experiment with our different | | | | |