Demonstrations with Poinsettia Extract Indicator: Acid–Base Chemistry at Home During Winter Holidays

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) contains anthocyanins that dissolve in water and exhibit color changes due to changing pH. This property makes the poinsettia extract a useful acid–base indicator for pH demonstrations. When combined with common household materials, this experiment can be used as a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of chemical education Vol. 100; no. 9; pp. 3731 - 3738
Main Author García-Zavala, Arturo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Easton American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc 12.09.2023
American Chemical Society
Subjects
Acids
Anthocyanins
Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Science education
Teaching methods
acids/bases
second year undergraduate/general
interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary
hands-on learning/manipulatives
organic chemistry
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Summary:Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) contains anthocyanins that dissolve in water and exhibit color changes due to changing pH. This property makes the poinsettia extract a useful acid–base indicator for pH demonstrations. When combined with common household materials, this experiment can be used as an alternative low-cost tool in teaching acid–base chemistry and organic chemistry.
ISSN:0021-9584
1938-1328
DOI:10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00113