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General Chemistry Science Fair Project

Homemade Acid Detectors from Red Cabbage

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Homemade Acid Detectors from Red Cabbage | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Some stinging insects spray formic acid when threatened — can you detect it? You make your own indicator paper from red cabbage juice and test it near disturbed ants. You boil red cabbage leaves in water for fifteen minutes. Then you soak paper towel strips in the purple liquid and let them dry. These strips change color when they touch an acid or a base. Place a dry strip over a disturbed anthill. If it turns pink, the ants are spraying acid. You can also test other liquids around the house.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that some stinging insects spray formic acid into the air when threatened.

Method & Materials

You will place a piece of indicator paper over the ants after lightly disturbing an anthill without getting stung.
You will need red cabbage, a hot plate, a pot and bowl, a strainer, newspaper, scissors, paper towel, and water.

Results

Through this experiment, we can observe that some stinging insects spray formic acid into the air when threatened. This is an interesting and unique way for ants to protect themselves.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting and unique because it allows us to observe the behavior of ants when they are threatened.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing different liquids or solutions with the indicator paper, and finding out how many different colors can be found.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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