What happens when you mix Sodium Bicarbonate, Bromothymol blue, and Calcium Chloride?
What is Bromthymol blue used for in this experiment?
When you mix Sodium Bicarbonate, Bromothymol blue, and Calcium Chloride, the following reactions occur:
1. Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) reacts with Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) to form calcium carbonate (CaCO3), water (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2):
2NaHCO3 + CaCl2 -> CaCO3 + 2H2O + 2CO2
2. Bromothymol blue is a pH indicator that changes color depending on the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is typically used in this experiment to determine the change in pH caused by the reaction between Sodium Bicarbonate and Calcium Chloride.
When you mix Sodium Bicarbonate, Bromothymol blue, and Calcium Chloride, a chemical reaction takes place resulting in a color change.
To understand what happens when these chemicals are mixed, we need to know the properties of each component:
1. Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3): This is a white, crystalline powder commonly known as baking soda. It is a weak base and can react with acids to produce carbon dioxide gas, water, and a salt.
2. Bromothymol Blue: This is an indicator dye that is often used to determine the pH level of a solution. In its natural state, it is blue in color. However, it can change color depending on the acidity or basicity of the solution it is in. Bromothymol blue turns yellow in an acidic solution and blue in a basic solution.
3. Calcium Chloride (CaCl2): This is a white, crystalline compound that is highly soluble in water. It is often used to control the moisture content in products and as a desiccant.
In the presence of water, Sodium Bicarbonate reacts with Calcium Chloride to form Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), and carbon dioxide gas (CO2). This reaction is as follows:
2 NaHCO3 + CaCl2 → 2 NaCl + Ca(OH)2 + CO2
When this reaction occurs, the Bromothymol blue, being an indicator, is used to detect the presence of carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide, being acidic in nature, reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which turns bromothymol blue yellow. So, in this experiment, the Bromothymol blue acts as an indicator to show the formation of carbon dioxide gas.