The question is:
What would happen if you tested bleach with a pH indicator and why?
I know that it would turn out with a pH of approx. 12, but I have no idea why.
Help please?
I suspect if you tested bleach with pH indicator that it would be bleached. It will bleach litmus paper but I've not tried it on liquid indicator.
What I mean by 'why' is why is it a base? What in it's chemical formula is the reason for its pH levels?
Is that more clear?
There are all kinds of bleaches. Many of the chlorine bleaches contain NaOCl as the active ingredient. NaOCl hyrolyzes in water solution as
OCl^- + HOH ==> HOCl + OH^-
So the pH is basic because this reaction releases OH ions.
A second reason, and perhaps more important than the first, is that Cl2 gas is passed through NaOH to make the NaOCl. Here is a site where you can read more about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite
If you tested bleach with an indicator, it would be a BASE with a high pH, because it is a very strong cleaning product.
To understand why bleach would show a pH of approximately 12 when tested with a pH indicator, let's start by briefly discussing what pH is. pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance on a scale from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, pH values below 7 are acidic, and pH values above 7 are alkaline or basic.
Now, let's move on to bleach. Bleach is a common household cleaning agent that typically contains sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). Sodium hypochlorite is an alkaline compound, meaning it has basic properties. When dissolved in water, it dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and hypochlorite ions (ClO-).
When you test bleach with a pH indicator, such as litmus paper or a universal indicator, the indicator will change color based on the pH of the substance being tested. In the case of bleach, since it contains sodium hypochlorite, which is a basic compound, the pH indicator will show a high pH value.
The pH of bleach is approximately 12 because sodium hypochlorite undergoes hydrolysis in water. This hydrolysis reaction results in the production of hydroxide ions (OH-) which increases the alkalinity of the solution. The presence of hydroxide ions is what causes bleach to have a high pH.
Therefore, when you test bleach with a pH indicator, you would observe the indicator changing color to indicate high alkalinity, typically around pH 12.
It's important to note that different brands or types of bleach may have slightly different pH values, but they will generally fall within the alkaline range due to the presence of sodium hypochlorite.