A hydrogencarbonate indicator (hydrogencarbonate indicator) is a type of

pH indicator A pH indicator is a halochromism, halochromic chemical compound added in small amounts to a Solution (chemistry), solution so the pH (acidity or Base (chemistry), basicity) of the solution can be determined visually or spectroscopically by chang ...

that is sensitive enough to show a color change as the concentration of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

gas in an

aqueous solution An aqueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water. It is mostly shown in chemical equations by appending (aq) to the relevant chemical formula. For example, a solution of table salt, also known as sodium chloride (NaCl), in water ...

increases. The indicator is used in

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

and

respiration Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...

experiments to find out whether carbon dioxide is being liberated.BBC Bitesize - GCSE Biology - Gas exchange in plants
/ref> It is also used to test the

content during gaseous exchange of organisms. When the carbon dioxide content is higher than 0.04%, the initial red colour changes to yellow as the pH becomes more acidic. If the carbon dioxide content is lower than 0.04%, it changes from red to magenta and, in relatively very low carbon dioxide concentrations, to purple. Carbon dioxide, even in the concentrations found in exhaled air, will dissolve in the indicator to form

carbonic acid Carbonic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . The molecule rapidly converts to water and carbon dioxide in the presence of water. However, in the absence of water, it is quite stable at room temperature. The interconversion ...

, a

weak acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbolised by the chemical formula , to dissociate into a proton, , and an anion, . The dissociation or ionization of a strong acid in solution is effectively complete, except in its most concentrated s ...

, which will lower the pH and give the characteristic colour change. A colour change to purple during photosynthesis shows a reduction in the percentage of carbon dioxide and is sometimes inferred as production of

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

, but there is not actually any direct evidence for it.Chatterjee, Sananda. ''A Chemical Analyser's Guide'', p.111 Great care must be taken to avoid acidic or alkaline contamination of the apparatus in such experiments, since the test is not directly specific to gases like carbon dioxide.

Composition

Two solutions are prepared separately: * Solution A: 0.02 g of

thymol blue Thymol blue (thymolsulfonephthalein) is a brownish-green or reddish-brown crystalline powder that is used as a pH indicator. It is insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol and dilute alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ...

, 0.01 g cresol red and 2 mL of

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

* Solution B: 0.8 g of

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...

, 7.48 g of

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a sa ...

and 90 mL of water * Mix Solution A and B and mix 9 mL of the mixed solution to 1000 mL of distilled water. * This method to determinate the concentration of bicarbonates and carbonates is also called "Magni's method."

Color change

References

PH indicators {{spectroscopy-stub