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Acid Base Indicator

Acid-Base Indicators

IndicatorHandling range
Colour change
Indicator solution (production)
Malachite green-Oxalate0,0 - 2,0

yellow - green blue
0,1g in 100ml water
Brillant green0,0 - 2,6

yellow - green
0,1g in 100ml water
Eosin (yellowish)0,0 - 3,0

yellow - green fluorescence
0,1g in 100ml water
Erythrosine B0,0 - 3,6

orange - reed
0,1g in 100ml water
Methyl green0,1 - 2,3

yellow - blue
0,1g in 100ml water
Methyl violet0,1 - 2,7

yellow - violet
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (20%)
picric acid0,2 - 1,0

colourless - yellow
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (70%)
Cresol red0,2 - 1,8

red - yellow
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (20%) or 0,04g in 1,05ml 0,1M NaOH and water up to 100ml
Crystal violet0,8 - 2,6

yellow - blue violet
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (70%)
Metacresol purple1,2 - 2,8

red - yellow
0.04g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 1.05ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Thymol blue1,2 - 2,8

red - yellow
0.04g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.86ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
p- Xylenol blue1,2 - 2,8

red - yellow
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (50%) or 0.04g in 0.98ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
2,2',2'',4,4'-Pentamethoxy red1,2 - 3,2

red - colourless
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Eosin, bluish1,4 - 2,4

colourless - pink fluorescent
0,1g in 100ml Water
Quinaldine red 1,4 - 3,2

colourless - pink
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (60%)
2,4-Dinitrophenole2,8 - 4,7

colourless - yellow
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (70%)
Methyl yellow
2,9 - 4,0

red - yellow orange
0,1-0,5g in 100ml Ethanol (90%)
Bromochlorophenol Blue3,0 - 4,6

yellow - blue violet
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.69ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Bromophenol blue3,0 - 4,6

yellow - blue violet
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.6ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Congo red3,0 - 5,2

blue - yellow orange
0,2g in 100ml Water
Methyl orange3,1 - 4,4

red - yellow orange
0,04g in 100ml Water or 100ml Ethanol (20%)
Mixed indicator 4.5 acc. to Mortimer4,3 - 5,2

red - blue
Bromocresol green
3,8 - 5,4

yellow - blue
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.58ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
2,5-Dinitrophenole4,0 - 5,8

colourless - yellow
0,05 - 0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (70%)
Sodium alizarinesulfonate4,3 - 6,3

yellow - violet
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (50%) or 100ml Water
Methyl red4,4 - 6,2

red - yellow orange
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Methyl red sodium salt4,4 - 6,2

red - yellow orange
mixed indicator 54,4 - 5,8

red-violet - green
Chlorophenol red4,8 - 6,4

yellow - violet
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.94ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Litmus5,0 - 8,0

red - blue
4g in 100ml Water
Bromocresol purple5,2 - 6,8

yellow - purple
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.74ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Bromophenol red5,2 - 6,8

orange-yellow - purple
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.94ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
4-Nitrophenol5,4 - 7,5

colorless - yellow
0,2g in 100ml Ethanol (96%) or 0,08g in 100ml Water
Bromoxylenol blue 5,7 - 7,5

yellow -blue
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Alizarin5,8 - 7,2

yellow - red
0,5g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Bromothymol blue6,0 - 7,6

yellow - blue
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.64ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Phenol red6,4 - 8,2

yellow - red violet
0,1g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0,04g in 1,13ml 0,1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
3-Nitrophenol6,6 - 8,6

colourless - yellow orange
0,3g in 100ml Ethanol (96%) or 0,08g in 100ml Water
Neutral red6,8 - 8,0

blue red - orange yellow
0,3g in 100ml Ethanol (70%)
Bromsulphthalein7,0 - 8,0

colorless - purple
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Cresol red7,0 - 8,8

orange - purple
0,1g in 100ml ethanol (50%) or 0,04g in 1,05ml 0,1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Naphtholphthalein7,1 - 8,3

brownish - blue-green
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Metacresol purple7,4 - 9,0

yellow - purple
0.04g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 1.05ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Thymol blue8,0 - 9,6

yellow - blue
0.04g in 100ml ethanol (20%) or 0.04g in 0.86ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
p-Xylenol blue8,0 - 9,6

yellow - blue
0.1g in 100ml ethanol (50%) or 0.04g in 0.98ml 0.1M NaOH and make up to 100ml with water
Phenolphthalein8,2 - 9,8

colourless - red violet
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Thymolphthalein9,3 - 10,5

colourless - blue
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (50%)
Alkali blue9,4 - 14,0

violet - pink
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Alizarin yellow GG10,0 - 12,1

light yellow - brownish yellow
0,1g in 100ml Water
Alizarin10,1 - 12,1

red - purple
0,5g in 100ml Ethanol (96%)
Titan yellow12,0 - 13,0

yellow - red
0,1g in 100ml Ethanol (20%)
Indigo carmine11,5 - 13,0

blue - yellow
0,25g in 100ml Ethanol (50%) or 1g in 100ml Water
Epsilon blue11,6 - 13,0

orange - violet
0,1g in 100ml Water
Overview of common acid-base indicators

Source: Merck tables for the laboratory

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