Middle School Science Lessons

Objectives: Students will be able to use cabbage juice as an indicator to identify the pH of substances.

My students have enjoyed the Cabbage Juice Lab over the years – and yes, it does smell!

Materials per group of 3-4 students:

• Student Handout (pdf)
• Cabbage Juice in an Erlenmeyer Flask with a pipette
  • I add a little bit of rubbing alcohol to the mixture and store it in the fridge overnight so we can use it for a few days
• micro-wells or small clear bathroom cups
• litmus paper – blue and red
• toothpicks
• ‘garbage’ cup
• beakers and pipettes for each solution
• Substances to test – diluted in water
  • You can have all of these set up at one station and students can pick one up and take one to their desk for testing, then return it to the station and choose another substance- you don’t have to have a complete set for each group.
    • vinegar
    • lemon juice
    • lime juice
    • pickle juice
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • sugar
    • detergent
    • hand sanitizer
    • alka seltzer tablets
    • bleach
    • ammonia

Additional Resources:

• Teach Engineering Lesson Plan
• Royal Society of Chemistry Lesson Plan