b S Supporting Information ' BACKGROUND An indicator is a chemical compound or mixture that has color characteristics that are specific to the pH of its immediate environment, where the pH is the logarithm expression of the dissolved hydronium ion concentration. Solutions with a pH greater than 7 are considered basic, while those with a pH lower than 7 are considered acidic. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring substances that have indicator properties. The pH conditions determine the protonation states of their ketone and hydroxyl substituents, which in turn leads to color changes. The use of anthocyanins from red cabbage juice has been previously reported for classroom activities in which students can visualize color changes that occur when the anthocyanins are exposed to different pH conditions. 1,2 More sophisticated possibilities include staining paper to have a desired color by using an anthocyanin solution with a particular pH value, 3 dipping anthocyanin-stained paper into solutions with different pH values, 4 and writing messages in invisible acidÀbase ink that are revealed when an anthocyanin solution is applied. 5 In this activity, rather than staining paper with an anthocyanin solution or dipping the
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