Three liquids are given to you. One is hydrochloric acid; another is sodium hydroxide and third is a sugar solution. How will you identify them if you have the only turmeric as an indicator?


Turmeric is a common spice in curry. It is a natural indicator and is used to check acidity and basicity. Turmeric is yellow in acid and neutral substances but turns bright red with bases.


In order to identify the solutions with a Turmeric Indicator, the following steps must be taken:


1. Place a drop of each liquid on turmeric indicator. The solution which changes the colour of the indicator to red is basic in nature, so it must be sodium hydroxide (NaOH).


2. Add a drop of this sodium hydroxide on the other two liquids taken separately to obtain two mixtures. A basic mixture with the sugar solution and salt with the Acidic solution.


3. Add a drop of each mixture on turmeric indicator. The mixture that changes its colour of indicator red contains neutral sugar solution. While the mixture which does not show any colour change in indicator contains hydrochloric acid which was neutralised on the addition of sodium hydroxide.

Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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