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{{lowercase|title=pH indicator}}
{{Acids and Bases}}

A '''pH indicator''' is a [[halochromism|halochromic]] chemical [[chemical compound|compound]] that is added in small amounts to a [[solution]] so that the [[pH]] ([[acid]]ity or [[Base (chemistry)|basicity]]) of the solution can be determined visually. Hence a pH indicator is a [[chemical]] detector for [[hydronium]] ions (H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>) or hydrogen ions (H<sup>+</sup>) in the [[Acid-base reaction theories|Arrhenius model]]. Normally, the indicator causes the [[color]] of the solution to change depending on the pH. At 25° Celsius, considered the standard temperature, the pH value of a neutral solution is 7.0. Solutions with a pH value below 7.0 are considered acidic, whereas solutions with pH value above 7.0 are basic. As most naturally occurring organic compounds are weak protolytes, [[carboxylic acid]]s and [[amine]]s, pH indicators find many applications in biology and analytical chemistry. Moreover, pH indicators form one of the three main types of indicator compounds used in chemical analysis. For the quantitative analysis of metal cations, the use of [[complexometric indicator]]s is preferred, whereas the third compound class, the [[redox indicator]]s, are used in titrations involving a redox reaction as the basis of the analysis.
==Theory==
In and of themselves, pH indicators are frequently weak acids or bases. The general reaction scheme of a pH indicator can be formulated as follows:

:HInd + H<sub>2</sub>O &#x21cc; H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup> + Ind<sup>-</sup>

Here HInd stands for the acid form and Ind<sup>-</sup> for the conjugate base of the indicator. It is the ratio of these that determines the color of the solution and that connects the color to the pH value. For pH indicators that are weak protolytes, we can write the [[Henderson-Hasselbalch equation]] for them:

:<math>\textrm{pH} = \textrm{pK}_{a}+ \log \frac{[\textrm{Ind}^-]}{[\textrm{HInd}]}</math>

The equation, derived from the [[acidity constant]], states that when pH equals the pKa value of the indicator, both species are present in 1:1 ratio. If pH is above the pKa value, the concentration of the conjugate base is greater than the concentration of the acid, and the color associated with the conjugate base dominates. If pH is below the pKa value, the converse is true.

Usually, the color change is not instantaneous at the pKa value, but there is a pH range where a mixture of colors is present. This pH range varies between indicators, but as a rule of thumb, it falls between the pKa value plus or minus one. This assumes that solutions retain their color as long as at least 10% of the other species persists. For example, if the concentration of the conjugate base is ten times greater than the concentration of the acid, their ratio is 10:1, and consequently the pH is pKa&nbsp;+&nbsp;1. Conversely, if there is a tenfold excess of the acid with respect to the base, the ratio is 1:10 and the pH is pKa&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;1.    

For optimal accuracy, the color difference between the two species should be as clear as possible, and the narrower the pH range of the color change the better. In some indicators, such as [[phenolphthalein]], one of the species is colorless, whereas in other indicators, such as [[methyl red]], both species confer a color. While pH indicators work efficiently at their designated pH range, they are usually destroyed at the extreme ends of the pH scale due to undesired side-reactions.

==Application==
pH indicators are frequently employed in [[titration]]s in analytic [[chemistry]] and [[biology]] experiments to determine the extent of a [[chemical reaction]]. Because of the [[Subjectivity|subjective]] determination of color, pH indicators are susceptible to imprecise readings. For applications requiring precise measurement of pH, a [[pH meter]] is frequently used.

Tabulated below are several common laboratory pH indicators.  Indicators usually exhibit intermediate colors at pH values inside the listed transition range.  For example, phenol red exhibits an orange color between pH 6.8 and pH 8.4.  The transition range may shift slightly depending on the concentration of the indicator in the solution and on the temperature at which it is used.  

{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2"
! Indicator
! Low pH color
! Transition pH range
! High pH color
|-
| [[Gentian violet]] ([[Methyl violet 10B]])
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 0.0–2.0
| style="background:#8A2BE2; color:white;" | blue-violet
|-
| [[Malachite green|Leucomalachite green]] (first transition)
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 0.0–2.0
| style="background:green; color:white;" | green
|-
| [[Leucomalachite green]] (second transition)
| bgcolor="green" | green
| align="center" | 11.6–14
| colorless
|-
| [[Thymol blue]] (first transition)
| bgcolor="red" | red
| align="center" | 1.2–2.8
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
|-
| Thymol blue (second transition)
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 8.0–9.6
| style="background:blue; color:white;" | blue
|-
| [[Methyl yellow]]
| bgcolor="red" | red
| align="center" | 2.9–4.0
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
|-
| [[Bromophenol blue]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 3.0–4.6
| style="background:purple; color:white" | purple
|-
| [[Congo red]]
| style="background:#8A2BE2; color:white;" | blue-violet
| align="center" | 3.0–5.0
| bgcolor="red" | red
|-
| [[Methyl orange]]
| bgcolor="red" | red
| align="center" | 3.1–4.4
| bgcolor="orange" | orange
|-
| [[Bromocresol green]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 3.8–5.4
| style="background:#0000BB; color:white;" | blue
|-
| [[Methyl red]]
| bgcolor="red" |red
| align="center" | 4.4–6.2
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
|-
| Methyl red
| bgcolor="red" |red
| align="center" | 4.5–5.2
| bgcolor="green" | green
|-
| [[Litmus test (chemistry)|Azolitmin]]
| bgcolor="red" | red 
| align="center" | 4.5–8.3
| style="background:blue; color:white;" | blue
|-
| [[Bromocresol purple]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 5.2–6.8
| style="background:purple; color:white" | purple
|-
| [[Bromothymol blue]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 6.0–7.6
| style="background:blue; color:white;" | blue
|-
| [[Phenol red]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 6.8–8.4
| style="background:red; color:black" | red
|-
| [[Neutral red]]
| bgcolor="red" | red
| align="center" | 6.8–8.0
| bgcolor="yellow"| yellow
|-
| [[Naphtholphthalein]]
| bgcolor="#FF9999" | colorless to reddish
| align="center" | 7.3–8.7
| bgcolor="#03A89E" | greenish to blue
|-
| [[Cresol Red]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 7.2–8.8
| bgcolor="#bb0080" | reddish-purple
|-
| [[Phenolphthalein]]
| colorless
| align="center" | 8.3–10.0
| bgcolor="fuchsia" | fuchsia
|-
| [[Thymolphthalein]]
| colorless
| align="center" | 9.3–10.5
| style="background:blue; color:white;" | blue
|-
| [[Alizarine Yellow R]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | yellow
| align="center" | 10.2–12.0
| bgcolor="red" | red
|-
| [[Litmus test (chemistry)|Litmus]]
| bgcolor="red" | red
| align="center" | 4.5-8.3
| style="background:blue; color:white;" |blue
|}

== Commercial preparations ==
[[Image:PH indicator paper.jpg|thumb|150px|pH measurement with indicator paper.]]
[[Universal indicator]] (also known as the [[litmus test]]) and [[Hydrion paper]]s are blends of different indicators that exhibits several smooth color changes over a very wide range of pH values.''

== Naturally occurring pH indicators ==
[[Image:Light mauve hydrangea.jpg|left|thumb|[[Hydrangea]]s can change color with soil acidity]]
<!-- Someone that knows more about hydrangeas could help find a species which is known to definitely change colour (or do they all?) -->
Many plants or plant parts contain chemicals from the naturally-colored [[anthocyanin]] family of compounds. They are red in acidic solutions and blue in basic. Extracting anthocyanins from [[red cabbage]] leaves or the skin of a [[lemon]] to form a crude acid-base indicator is a popular introductory chemistry demonstration.

Anthocyanins can be extracted from a multitude of colored plants or plant parts, including from leaves (red [[cabbage]]); flowers ([[Pelargonium|geranium]], [[poppy]], or [[rose]] petals); berries ([[blueberry|blueberries]], [[blackcurrant]]); and stems ([[rhubarb]]).

==See also==
*[[Universal indicator]]
*[[Disappearing rainbow indicator]]
* [[Nitrazine]]
* [[Fecal pH test]]

== References ==
{{commons|pH indicator}}
* [http://www.ph-meter.info/pH-measurements-indicators Long indicator list]
* {{fr icon}} {{PDFlink|[http://sbeccompany.fr/sciences/chimie/indicateurs/liste_indicateurs_pH.pdf Complete indicator list]|57.3&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 58773 bytes -->}}

[[Category:pH indicators| ]]
[[Category:Equilibrium chemistry]]
[[Category:Titration]]

{{Link GA|fr}}

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