Phenolphthalein is a weak, colorless acid that changes color when it touches acidic (turns orange) or basic (turns pink/fuchsia) substances. People used to take it as a laxative (not recommended today, as ingesting high amounts may cause cancer). Use gloves when handling this chemical, as your skin  can absorb it on contact. I’ll show you how:


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Materials:


  • 2 test tubes
  • sodium carbonate (washing soda)
  • phenolphthalien (liquid)
  • medicine dropper
  • water
  • test tube stoppers
  • gloves and goggles


Download Student Worksheet & Exercises


Sprinkle a tiny amount of sodium carbonate into the bottom of your test tube. Fill your test tube partway with water (the solution should still be clear). Add a few drops of phenolphthalein (which is clear inside the dropper), cap, and shake.


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Comments

4 Responses to “Turning Water into Wine”

  1. Aurora Lipper says:

    No, never drink this or other chemistry experiments.

  2. suzanne_mangeri says:

    well, can you drink it?

  3. No, it’s just the same color. NEVER drink anything we experiment with in our science lab.

  4. bbumgardner says:

    Is this actually wine? Or is a just a show name? That would be so cool if it was real!