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THE PH LEVELS OF DISAPPEARING INKS

Grace Goetz
Cary Academy

ABSTRACT
The first experiments purpose was to find out which disappearing ink was more basic.
Disappearing ink was left sitting out for a 24 hours, 30 minutes, 5 minutes, and 0
minutes (not left sitting out). The hypothesis made for this experiment was the
disappearing ink left sitting for a whole day would have a more basic pH level after the
24 hours had passed. To find out if this hypothesis was correct, 25 mL of disappearing
ink was left in a beaker to sit out for a whole day. After a whole day had passed, the pH
probe and pH strips were used to find the pH of the substance. Red and blue litmus
papers were also used to find out if the ink was a base or acid. Next, another 25 mL of
disappearing ink was left sitting out for five minutes and then tested the same way as
the one day ink. After this, another 25 mL of disappearing ink was tested the same way
as before; this disappearing ink was not left to sit out. Afterward, the disappearing ink
left sitting out for an hour was tested the same way. All variables were tested twice. It
was found the ink not left out at all had the most basic pH using the pH probe, and the
ink left out for 5 minutes had the most basic pH using the pH strips.

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the first experiment was to find out which disappearing ink was more
basic; disappearing ink left out for 5 minutes, 60 minutes, a whole day, and 0 minutes.
PH, potential hydrogen, is the acidity or base measurement of a substance. PH also
measures the activity of the hydrogen ion. PH is a quantitative observation because it
includes numbers. The numbers come from the measurement of pH being from 0 to 14,
the most acidic being 0. 0 is the most acidic because if the pH measurement of a
substance is below 6 it is an acid, although it is a neutral when the pH level is above 6
but below 8. Finally, a substance is a base when the pH level is above 8. It was
researched that 10-11 is the pH level for commercial disappearing ink, making it a base.
The ingredients used to make disappearing ink might be the reason it is a base. A small
amount of thymolphthalein is dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make disappearing ink. After
this is done, water makes the ink thinner. Afterward, sodium hydroxide is added to make
the blue color. It was found that disappearing ink is a base indicator. Not only this, it was
researched that disappearing ink is water-based. 6 is the pH level of tap water while 6-7
is the pH level for pure water. A substance that can act as an acid and a base is water.
Another fact about water is that hydrogen ions are produced when acids are in water.
Also, alkalis are bases that dissolve in water. Hydroxide is produced by alkalis. An
example of an alkali that can be used to treat acid in polluted water is lime.
Thymolphthalein is a pH indicator of acid-base. When thymolphthalein has a pH of 9.3-
10.5 when it is in its transitional range. Thymolphthalein could be one of the reasons
disappearing ink can turn colorless because it turns colorless when it is below a pH of
9.3-10.5. Although, this indicator turns blue when it is above the pH of 9.3-10. Also,
disappearing ink can turn purple, pink, and then colorless by combining phenolphthalein
and thymolphthalein. Another color disappearing ink can be is red by substituting
phenolphthalein for thymolphthalein. 8.2-9.8 is the pH phenolphthalein, which is the
color pink.
The values of the concentration of the hydrogen ion are translated by pH. This was how
the term was originally used, which it was used by Danish biochemist S.P.L. Srensen.
PH can also represent the effectiveness of a probe that shocks water. The reason this
biochemist might have been using the term pH because medicine, biology, chemistry,
agriculture, forestry, food science, environmental science, oceanography, civil
engineering, chemical engineering, nutrition, water treatment & water purification uses
the term pH.
The interaction of two or more molecules, disappearing ink and air, not only results in
the molecules changing but also makes a chemical reaction. The iron in metal
combining with the outside oxygen is a chemical reaction of a trash can rusting. Also,
this reaction could have happened from a long train of reactions. In this example a
chemical change happened, a compound changed into a different compound, because
it happens in every chemical reaction. Although this is a chemical change, this could be
confused as a physical change. Ice melting would be an example of a physical change,
we know it isnt a chemical change because there arent two chemicals. The chemical
change is very important, so important that as long as the chemical change happens the
reaction can be produced with anything such as ions, compounds, and molecules.
Before conducting the experiment disappearing ink was observed. It was observed that
the packaging of the disappearing ink is one fluid ounce. The packaging also comes
with a squeezer at the top of the bottle so that the ink can easily come out. On the front
of the disappearing ink bottle the cover says disappearing ink and is blue, purple, and
pink tie-dye. Also from the observations it was found that when the disappearing ink
was poured on a hand it makes a circle of water with the blue ink floating around in the
water. It was controlled where the ink was moved on the hand by the hand moving.
When two drops of disappearing ink are squeezed onto a paper towel it takes 122.8
seconds for the ink to disappear. Another quantitative observation that was found was
that 10 mL of disappearing ink weighs 5 grams. The final quantitative observation found
about the disappearing ink was that 5 cm was the diameter of the puddle of water left on
the paper towel after the ink disappears. The disappearing ink smells like vinegar was
another observation. Also, it was observed that when one places the ink on ones hand,
the ink cant be felt with the hand. The final observation about the disappearing ink was
no sound was heard coming from the disappearing ink.
The acid, white distilled vinegar, was also observed for this experiment. It was observed
that the substance holds 5% acidity and it expires on March 2
nd
, 2014. A quantitative
observation made was the acid weighs 8.9 grams and 200 mL of this vinegar has a pH
level of 4. The vinegar was also smelled so observations could be made. The vinegar
smelled very strong and chemically along with selling a little bit like apples. It was
observed the ingredients used to make the vinegar were white distilled vinegar and
water. The final observation made was 80 mL of the vinegar had a temperature of 28
degrees Celsius.
Not only was an acid observed, but so was a base. The base being observed for this
experiment was Ammonia Clear, an all-purpose cleaner. The packaging of the vinegar
holds 64 ounces and the cover of the packaging indicates that children should not play
or touch the ammonia, as it can be irritating to human skin and eyes. Ammonia should
be swallowed, as it causes damage to the stomach. Another warning observed on the
front of the ammonia bottle is risky gases can be released when the ammonia is
combined with other chemical such as chlorine bleach, drain cleaners, or toilet bowl
cleaners. On the back of the ammonia bottle the ingredients were found which were
observed to be soft water and ammonium hydroxide. Another observation was no
phosphorus biodegradables were found in the ammonia, along with the ammonia was
clear but was slightly blue. A quantitative observation about the ammonia was 10 mL of
the substance weighs11.5 grams and 22.5 degrees was the temperature of the
ammonia. The final observations made about the ammonia were its smell. It was
observed the base has a strong smell of chlorine, which doesnt smell good.

It was hypothesized that the disappearing ink left sitting out for a day will have the
highest level of pH, such as 14. This was hypothesized because it was researched that
disappearing ink can turn colorless when the neutralization of the sodium hydroxide
happens. It was thought that the sodium hydroxide could be neutralized by air turning it
colorless and the colorlessness could show a sign of being basic because the ammonia
was clear. Also, if the hydroxide was neutralized and the full hour wasn't up the sodium
hydroxide could turn into a base making the disappearing ink be more basic then when
the sodium hydroxide is neutralized.

MATERIALS & METHOD
4 bottles of disappearing ink
pH probe
Blue Litmus paper
Red Litmus paper
Tweezers
Gloves
Goggles
pH strips
4 250 mL beakers

First to conduct this experiment, 25 millimeters of disappearing ink was poured into a
250 mL bottle and was left sitting out for 1 day. After this, another 25 millimeters of
disappearing ink was poured into a 250 millimeters beaker and left sitting out for 1 hour.
Next, another 25 millimeters of disappearing ink was poured into another 250
millimeters beaker and left sitting out for 5 minutes. Then, the final 25 millimeters of
disappearing ink was opened and the tweezers were used to hold the red litmus paper
in the ink to find the base, a neutral, or an acid. After, the tweezers were used again to
hold the blue litmus paper in the water to find if the substance was an acid, base, or
neutral. Next, the tweezers were used to hold the pH strip in the water to find the pH
level of the disappearing ink. Afterward, the pH probe was used to get the exact pH of
the ink. Next, the previous steps were repeated to find the pH of the other variables.
The disappearing ink that didnt sit out and the disappearing ink that sat out for 5
minutes were then tested again. Speaking of variables, the independent variable in this
experiment was the amount of time the disappearing ink sits out. The dependent
variable in this experiment was the level of pH of the disappearing ink. Finally, the
control in this experiment was the disappearing ink that does not sit out. In the
experiment, to be safe the chemical goggles were used to keep eyes safe from the ink.
Not only this, gloves were used to protect any contact between the skin and the ink.
The purpose of the second experiment was to find which substance, disappearing ink
mixed with ammonia or disappearing ink mixed with vinegar, takes longer to disappear
on a paper towel. It was hypothesized that the disappearing ink mixed with ammonia, a
base, was going to take the longest time to disappear because it was observed that the
regular disappearing ink which is a base, takes 122.8 seconds. This was the reasoning
because when the ammonia is added to the disappearing ink it could make it more
basic. Also from the earlier experiment the disappearing ink that had a pH of 7.48 had
no color. This was a more acidic pH than the disappearing ink that still had color.
Vinegar is an acid giving it a shorter time to disappear because from the results in the
earlier experiment it seems like to make the color disappear it has to around the pH of
7.
First to conduct the second experiment, one bottle of disappearing ink was poured to 5
mL in a 10 mL cylinder and then vinegar was poured into a different 10 mL cylinder to
the 5 mL marker also. Then both were poured into a 250 mL beaker. Next, the 10 mL
substance was poured onto a strip of paper towel and the timer was started. When all
the ink was gone, the timer was stopped and how long it took for the ink to disappear
was recorded. Afterward, another bottle of disappearing ink was poured into a10 mL
cylinder to the 5 mL marker and ammonia was poured into another 10 mL cylinder to
5mL also. After, both substances were poured into a clean 250 mL beaker. Next, the 10
mL substance was poured on a different paper towel strip and the timer was started.
The timer was stopped when there was no blue color left on the paper towel. The steps
were repeated for each variable so the results were accurate. The disappearing ink
combined with ammonia was the control of this experiment. The Independent Variable
of this experiment was the substance disappearing ink was being mixed with. The
dependent variable for this experiment was how long it takes the substances to
disappear on the paper towel. For safety reasons, gloves were used to keep skin safe.
Also, goggles were used so that the chemicals could not come in contact with eyes.
The purpose of the third experiment was to find the boiling point of disappearing ink. It
was hypothesized for this experiment that the boiling point of disappearing ink would be
around 90 degrees Celsius. This was thought because the boiling point of water is 100
degrees Celsius and this is a water base substance. The hypothesis was 10 degrees
Celsius under the boiling point of water because disappearing ink isn't just water but
other substances also.
First, 25 mL of a bottle of disappearing ink was poured into a 250 mL beaker. Next, the
disappearing ink was left to sit out for 3 minutes and the temperature was tested in
Celsius. After this, since the ink was not boiling the same 25 mL of disappearing ink was
put on a hot plate and was turned to channel 1 for three minutes. Next, the temperature
of the substance was tested in Celsius. Afterward, these steps were repeated except
the 25 mL of substance was left on the hot plate and every three minutes the channel
number would increase. The experiment was finished when the substance was not able
to boil at channel 5. In this experiment impact goggles were used when the hot plate
was in use so that if the substance exploded, the eyes would be safe.
The independent variable of this experiment was the temperature of the ink. The
dependent variable was the boiling of the disappearing ink. The control of the
experiment was the ink that was left sitting in the room for three minutes.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Figure 1: The pH levels of the disappearing inks
The first experiment showed that the ink that doesnt sit out was a base. This was
shown from the blue and red litmus papers because both papers were blue. After
having the pH wand sit in the ink for 30 seconds, the pH probe showed that the average
pH level for the ink that doesnt sit out was 10.9. This was because the first trial result
for the pH probe was 10.51and the second trial result for the pH probe was 11.29,
showing that the substance was a base. The pH strip showed that the ink that didnt sit
out had on average a pH level of 11. It was observed that the ink was only filled up to
the 25 mL marker on the 250 mL beaker. Also, it was observed that the ink was blue
when in the beaker. Next, it was observed that when the disappearing ink container
was flipped all the way around the ink wouldnt come out very fast. The ink that did not
sit out did not make any sound and smelled like sharpie. It was observed that the ink
that did not sit out took 2 minutes 2 seconds and 80 milliseconds to disappear and was
watery looking. Finally, it was observed that the blue color in the ink stays where it is for
a second or two even when it is moved.
Also, in the first experiment it was found that the ink left to sit out for 5 minutes was also
a base. Also, in this test the litmus papers were blue showing that the substance was a
base. 10.805 was the average pH level for the disappearing ink that sat out for 5
minutes, according to the pH probe. This was because in the first trial the pH probe read
that the pH level of the substance was 11.29 and in the second trial the probe showed
the pH was 10.32. The pH strip also showed that the disappearing ink that sat out for
five minutes was a base because its average was 12.5. The ink that sat out for five
minutes was observed to be blue and watery looking. It was also observed that this
substance had a strong smell of rubber. Finally, it was observed that when the red
litmus paper was dropped into the ink, it became soaked.
Next, in the first experiment the disappearing ink that sat out for a whole day was also a
base. This was found because the red and blue litmus papers both changed to a blue
color. Although, when the blue litmus papers color was lighter than the color of the
litmus papers in the test before, the 5 minute ink left out five minutes and not left out.
Also, with the red litmus paper, the color changed but it was still a little red in the
beginning. Also, the substance was shown to be a base because the pH level from the
pH probe was 7.48, which is higher than 7. Finally, 9 was the average pH level with the
pH strips, also making the ink that was left out for a whole day a base. In this test the
disappearing ink that was left out for a day turned clear. Also, the ink had white powder
floating around in the ink. It was observed that the substance smelled like a quesadilla
from Moes Southwest Grille. Finally, it was observed that the level of the substance had
decreased; the disappearing ink did not fill up to 25 mL any more.
Finally, in the first experiment it was discovered that the disappearing ink which sat out
for an hour was a base. This was shown again from the blue and red litmus papers
because both turned blue indicating the substance was a base. The blue litmus paper
that was soaked in the disappearing ink was very watery afterward and was light blue.
The red litmus paper was also watery afterward and was a little red when the test was
taking place. The pH level for this disappearing ink was 10.87using the pH probe.
Although, using the pH strip, the pH level was found to be 11. In this test it was
observed that the ink had some pieces in it that were lighter than others. Not only this,
an observation was made stating the ink had a film over it. From the observations it was
found the ink smells like led. The ink was also blue.

Figure 2: Time for substances to disappear
It was found in the second experiment that the disappearing ink mixed with ammonia
took longer to disappear than the disappearing ink mixed with vinegar. In the first trial of
testing the disappearing ink mixed with vinegar took 0 seconds to disappear. The
results in trial 1 were the same as the results in trial 2. It was observed in these tests
with the disappearing ink and vinegar that when the ink came in contact with the vinegar
the ink turned clear immediately, before the substance went on the paper towel. It was
also observed that the substance smelled like vinegar and the substance spread all
over the paper towel.
In the second experiment it was found that the substance made out of disappearing ink
and ammonia took an average of 677.925 seconds to disappear. This was because in
the first trial it took the substance 10 minutes 31 seconds and 60 centiseconds, which is
equivalent to 631.6 seconds, to disappear on a paper towel. In the second trial the
ammonia and disappearing ink substance took 12 minutes 4 seconds and 25
centiseconds, which is equivalent to 724.25, to disappear on a paper towel. It was
observed that the substance made out of ammonia and disappearing ink was light blue.
It was also observed that when the substance was poured on the paper towel it made
an oval shape. After the substance had been sitting on the paper towel for a while the
outsides of the oval had disappeared, although in the middle of the oval it was dark
blue. Not only this, it was observed after 5 minutes and 16 seconds there was dark color
on the indentations of the paper towel. During the test an observation was made stating
the ink spread to both sides of paper towel after the ink was on the paper towel for a
while. It was also observed that there was barely any color left on the paper towel at 6
minutes and 35 seconds. Finally, when the test was finished it was noticed that the ink
sinked through the paper towel.

Figure 3: Temperature of the disappearing ink compared to boiling
In the third experiment a discovery was made, it was the disappearing could not boil at
84.3 degrees Celsius. The disappearing ink also did not boil at 21.1 degrees Celsius,
Temperature(Celcius) If it boiled
21.1 no
23.3 no
36.8 no
53.9 no
71.3 no
84.3 no
which was the room temperature at that moment. Also, the ink did not boil at 23.3
degrees Celsius; this was the channel 1 of the hot plate. Next, the ink was tested if it
could boil at 36.8 degrees Celsius, the channel two on the hot plate, and it could not
boil. Afterward, the ink was tested if it could boil at 53.9 degrees Celsius, and similar to
all the others it could not. Next, the ink was again tested if it could boil, although at 71.3
degrees Celsius. The ink was not able to boil at this temperature either. Finally, the
substance was tested if it could boil at 84.3 degrees Celsius; it was found the substance
could not boil on this temperature as said before. In this experiment an observation was
made stating when the disappearing ink was being tested at room temperature, it was
blue and watery; like the commercial disappearing ink. Next, the ink being tested at 36.8
degrees Celsius; the ink around the edge of the 250 mL beaker was light blue, and the
ink in the center of the beaker was dark blue. An observation made about the ink being
tested at 53.9 degrees Celsius was the ink smelled similar to hot dogs. Another
observation made about this ink was the ink in the center of the beaker was dark blue
and the ink near the sides of the beaker was light blue. Next, it was observed the
beaker filled with the ink at 71.3 degrees Celsius was foggy and steamy was coming up
out of the top. The ink in this beaker was observed to be lighter than in the beginning of
the tests. It was also observed the ink had a peel over it; the peel was white specks on
the ink. Also, an observation made about the ink at 84.3 degrees Celsius was the ink
smelled smoky and smoke was coming from the beaker the ink was in. The beaker
holding the disappearing ink at 83.3 degrees Celsius was observed to be very foggy. An
hour after the tests were finished and the hot plate was turned off, the disappearing ink
turned yellow and the ink level decreased.



CONCLUSIONS
In the first experiment the hypothesis was not confirmed. This was because the
disappearing ink left sitting for a day had a more acidic pH than the ink not left sitting
out. It was thought this experiment turned out to have the disappearing ink not left sitting
out for an hour having the most basic pH using the pH probe because this ink sat out
the least longest. The not sitting out had the effect on the pH because the disappearing
ink is made out of thymolphthalein and this indicator has a pH of above 9.3-10 when
blue and has a pH below 9.3-10.5 when colorless. When disappearing ink sits out it
starts to turn colorless making the ones left to sit out have a pH near or below 9.3-10.5
and the ink not sitting out to have a pH higher than 9.3-10. The disappearing ink left out
for five minutes having the most basic pH using the pH strip because maybe during the
five minutes of the ink being left out, the sodium hydroxide in the ink could have been
neutralizing. During the process of the neutralization could have made the sodium
hydroxide expand and making the pH level more basic because there was more sodium
hydroxide in the ink than water, and the sodium hydroxide would have a pH near neutral
when water would have an acidic ph. The sodium hydroxide could have come back to
normal size when it was sitting out longer; giving the reason the ink that sat out for an
hour and the ink that sat out for a day would be less basic. The Major finding or
discoveries found in this experiment was the disappearing ink left sitting out for a day
ink level decreased. This was a major finding because it was unexpected to happen. An
experimental improvement for this first experiment could be to test the disappearing ink
left sitting out for one day and the disappearing ink left sitting out for an hour twice
because this could make the results more accurate. Future experiments done could be
to test how long it takes for disappearing ink to freeze.

In the second experiment the hypothesis was confirmed. This was because the
substance made out of Ammonia and disappearing ink took longer to disappear than
the substance made out of Vinegar and disappearing ink. It was thought for this turned
out this way because the first experiment showed that when the color in disappearing
ink has disappeared, the pH level was around 7 making it a base. When a base is
combined with another base it is thought to be more basic than just the one substance,
taking it longer to get to the pH level of 7. Also, when a base is combined with an acid it
is thought for the base to be more acidic, giving it less time to get to the pH level of 7
compared to a substance that is more basic. The major finding found in this experiment
was when vinegar comes in contact with disappearing ink, the ink immediately turns
clear. A way this experiment can be improved is by being very precise on when to stop
the timer, meaning stopping the timer at the same point of the ink color disappearing as
the other tests. Future experiments done could be to test if playing with disappearing ink
affects stress level.

In the third experiment the hypothesis was inconclusive. This was because the
disappearing ink was not tested if it could boil at 90 degrees Celsius; the highest
temperature the disappearing ink was tested at to boil was 84.3 degrees Celsius. The
reason the experiment turned out to not have the disappearing ink not boil at 84.3
degrees Celsius was because the disappearing ink was a water base substance so, its
boiling temperature would be closer to 100 degrees Celsius. The disappearing inks
boiling temperature would be close to 100 degrees Celsius because 100 degrees
Celsius is the boiling point of water. 84.3 degrees Celsius was not a close enough
temperature to100 degrees Celsius, making it not boil at that temperature or the
temperatures below that. A major finding in this experiment was the disappearing ink
made a peel on the top of it. This was a major finding because this peel was
unexpected to be made.

REFERENCES
Eyewitness Science. Acids and Bases. Chemistry. 1st American edition.
London: Dorling Kinderesly, 1993. Print.
Eyewitness Visual Dictionary.Acids and Bases. The Visual Dictionary of
Chemistry. 1
st
American edition. New York: DK publishing, 1996. Print.
Katz A., David. DISAPPEARING INK. Chymist.com. Web. January 20, 2013.
Matthews, Laurel. THE STUDY OF SODA AND ITS PH LEVEL. Cary
Academy. Web. January 18, 2013.
pH." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.
pH. Wikipedia. January 16, 2013. Web. January 19, 2013.
Thymolphthalein. Wikipedia. November 11, 2011. Web. January 19, 2013.

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