Dry Ice pH Colour Change
Materials: ★★★ Requires materials not commonly found in school laboratories
Difficulty: ★★☆ Can be done by science teachers
Safety: ★★☆ Some safety precautions required to perform safely
Categories: Acids and Bases, Colour Changes, Dry Ice
Alternative titles: Dry Ice and Universal Indicator
Summary
Adding dry ice to a beaker of water with universal indicator creates bubbling fog and a color change. As carbon dioxide dissolves into the water, the solution becomes acidic and shifts from green through the color spectrum to orange. Adding base resets the cycle.
Procedure
- Fill a beaker or container with water and add several drops of universal indicator.
- Using gloves or tongs, add chunks of dry ice.
- Watch as the solution bubbles, fog forms, and the color changes from green to orange as carbonic acid forms.
Links
Description or Video title - Author:
📄 Description or Title - Author: https://www.link.link
🎞️ Description or Video title - Author:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kou7ur5xt_4
Variations
- Add a small amount of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) before starting to make the initial colour of the universal indicator purple.
- Add more concentrated sodium hydroxide once finished to get the solution back to a purple colour.
- Use different acid–base indicators to observe alternate color changes.
Safety Precautions
- Always wear gloves or use tongs when handling dry ice to avoid frostbite.
- Wear goggles and a lab coat when working with strong bases (sodium hydroxide).
- Use only small amounts of concentrated sodium hydroxide and handle with care - it is corrosive.
- Conduct in a ventilated space, since sublimating dry ice releases carbon dioxide gas.
- Keep dry ice and sodium hydroxide away from children and pets.
Questions to Consider
- Why does dissolving carbon dioxide make the water acidic?
- How does the universal indicator show the gradual change in pH?
- Why does the fog flow over the edge of the beaker instead of rising?
- How does adding NaOH reset the solution back to purple?