Hooked on Science: Your breath can change the color of juice

Do you have acid breath? You can put your breath to the test by using a few ingredients from around the house.

Materials

* Red cabbage

* Transparent glass

* Straw

Instructions

STEP 1: Have an adult cut the red cabbage into slices.

STEP 2: Place about 2 cups of red cabbage into an empty bowl.

STEP 3: Pour enough boiling water to cover the red cabbage and allow to set for 10 minutes.

STEP 4: Pour the liquid into a transparent glass.

STEP 5: Using a straw, blow into the glass of red cabbage juice until the color changes.

Explanation

A pH scale is used to determine if a liquid is an acid or a base. Acids are between 0 and 7. Bases are between 7 and 14. As you blow into the red cabbage juice, the carbon dioxide gas in your breath turns the water acidic; therefore the water turns a dark pink. The color will vary depending on how long you blow into the red cabbage juice.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindseyhookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found on www.semissourian.com.