Rose Anthocyanins As Acid Base Indicators
Rose Anthocyanins As Acid Base Indicators
Rose Anthocyanins As Acid Base Indicators
BASE INDICATORS
pH/Acid Base Indicators
• A pH indicator is a chemical detector for hydronium ions (H3O+) or hydrogen ions (H+).
• It can also be said that pH indicator changes color depending on whether they donate or
accept proton (acids are proton donors and bases are proton acceptors).
Nature Uses
• pH indicators are themselves acids or • Main use of indicator is to test whether a
bases. solution is acidic or basic.
• A pH indicator is just a weak acid with • pH indicators are frequently employed in
differently colored acid and conjugate titrations in analytical chemistry and
base forms. biology to determine the extent of a
chemical reaction.
pH indicator Sources
Artificial Natural
• Many artificial acid‐base indicators in a • plant pigments can act as acid‐base
chemical laboratory have been in use indicators.
which are made synthetically.
• Many flowers, fruits and vegetables
• phenolphthalein: colorless in acidic contain chemical substances that change
solution, pink in basic solution color in solutions of different pH.
• Many indicators have been extracted from plants.
• Willstatter in 1913, isolated and extensively studied blue and red pigments of flowers.
• Apples, autumn leaves, roses, strawberries, and cranberry juice appear red.
• Blueberries, cornflowers appear blue.
• Grapes, blackberries and red cabbage appear purple.
• All these color due to the presence of cyanidin based colorant molecules.
Natural Indicators
• Many naturally colored compounds can behave as acid‐base indicators.
– Alizarin
Is an orange dye present in the root of the madder plant; it was used to dye wool in
ancient Egypt, Persia, and India.
In an 0.5% alcohol solution, alizarin is yellow at pH 5.5 and red at pH 6.8.
– Cochineal
Is an acid‐base indicator made from the bodies of dried female cochineal insects, found
in Mexico and Central America.
– Curcumin or Turmeric yellow
Is a natural dye found in curry powder. It turns from yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.
• Within the plant they serve as key antioxidants and pigments contributing to the coloration
of flowers.
• Anthocyanins occur in all higher plants, mostly in flowers and fruits but also in leaves, stems,
and roots. In these parts they are found predominantly in outer cell layers.
• Anthocyanins are water soluble strong colors and have been used to color food since
historical times.
Anthocyanins
• Anthocyanins are pH dependent. When the acidity changes, the color changes.
• For example the color of red cabbage is enhanced with the addition of vinegar or other acid.
• When cooked in aluminum pans, which cause a more alkaline environment, the color
changes to purple and blue.
• The extracts when treated with alkali turn green and show a greater absorbance in the range
575‐625 nm depending upon the flowers used.
Flower color as indicators
• Economic use of the pigments of some common flowers as acid/alkali indicators have been
shown by using common flowers like Hibiscus rosa‐sinensis, Ipomoea fistulosa and Clitoria
turnetea contain various anthocyanin pigments in the form of purple‐red, violet, and blue
colors, resp.
• The acetone extracts of the pigments turn red in presence of acid and show absorption max.
at 500 nm (H. rosa‐sinensis) or at 525 nm (I. fistulosa and C. turnetea).
Present study/Use of Rose’s color as pH indicator
• The intrinsic pH of the extract was 2.88.
• Rose anthocyanin extract showed wavelength maxima change from 517 nm (dark pink) to
592 nm (green) between the pH range 2 to 9.
Rose anthocyanin
• The colorant present in the rose flower is mainly consisting of cyanidin, pelargonin or
peonidin or to mixtures of these pigments.
• Equilibrium between the two neutral forms occurs exclusively by way of the flavylium cation.
• The existence of very small amounts of a third neutral form, the chalcone C, a prototropic
tautomer of the carbinol B, has also been reported.
Rose anthocyanin color
• Rose anthocyanin color scale on
different pH show colors from pink
to green.
Titre values of HCl extracted rose Anthocyanin
Titre values of Citric acid extracted rose
Anthocyanin
Titre values of Tartric acid extracted rose Anthocyanin
Conclusions
• The goal of this work was to propose a simple and cheap indicator.
• The selection natural dyes to indicate specific pH levels based on their color changes.
• Effect of using such natural extracts as indicators gave quantitative results as compared with
conventional indicators with good agreement.