Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Does anyone know what the chemical reaction is between Phenolphthalein, sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid?

The formula for phenolphthalein is complicated, so let's call it HA. HA is a white powder that dissolves in alcohol/water to give a water-white solution. If you add NaOH to this solution, then HA + NaOH ===> Na+ + A- + H2O, where A- is red. Then, if you add H2SO4 to the solution, H2SO4 + A- ===> HA + HSO4-, and you get a water-white solution again.

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