GUIDED BY

PRESENTED BY
Shyam Lata Yadav M.Sc. Pre. chemestry

What is Indicator?

Indicators are organic substance, the presence of very small amount of which indicators the termination of a chemical reaction by a change of colours. Indicators are of various types e.g.- Acid-Base indicators, Redox indicators, Adsorption indicators, etc. Acid-Base indicators are organic substance which have one colour in acid solution while an at together different colours in alkaline solution various Acid-Base indicators show colours changes in a definite pH range.

Colour changes in definite pH ranges

Indicators
Phenolphthalein

pH range
8.3- 10.5

Colours in acid
Colourless

Colours in Alkaline
Red

Litmus

5.5- 7.4

Red

Blue

Methyl red

4.5- 6.5

Red

Yellow

Methyl orange

3.2- 4.5

Pink

Yellow

Theories of Indicators

There are basically two theories proposed for indicators

Modern

Quinoid Theory of Indicators Ostwald Theory of Indicators

Modern Quinoid Theory

An Acid-Base indicator is a dynamic equilibrium mixture of two alternative tautomeri forms. Ordinarily one form is benzenoid while the other is quinoid. The two forms have different colours. Out of these one form exists in acidic solution while the other in alkaline solution. Change in pH causes the transition of benzenoid form to quinoid form and viceversa and consequently a change in colour.

The colour change in case of methyl orange and phenolphthalein

Ostwalds theory
1) 2) e.g.Acid-Base indicators are weak organic theory acids or bases. They passes different colours in ionized and unionized states

+ +

(One colour)
3) the are

(Different colours)

The colour of the indicators depends on the relative proportionof unionized indicators molecules and its ion.

Thus phenolphthalein is a weak acid whose unionized molecules

colourless, while ions are red in colour i.e.

Ostwalds theory

In presence of an acid (i.e. H+ ions) the equilibrium is forced backward (due to common H+ ion). Whereby resulting in the formation of colourless dissociated molecules addition of strong alkali (- OH- ions) result in the remove of H+ ions.

+ +

2
( )

( This result in more and more dissociation of indicator. Therefore in pressure of an alkali the concentration of pink coloured Ph+ ion is greater than colourless HPh molecules and hence the solution will be pink)

If a weak base (i.e. NH4OH) is added the OH- ion furnished by it are very small in numbers and hence the equilibrium is not shifted sufficiently to produce a large number of coloured Ph- ions i.e. +

Ostwalds theory

Methyl orange is a weak base which ionizes to yield red ions i.e.

+ +
()

If a base (OH- ions ) is added to the indicators, the OH- ions will suppress the ionization of the indicators. Hence the indicator will remain yellow in an alkali . however if a small excess of acid (say HCl) is added. The latter will force the equilibrium to the right by the removing OH- ions to form H2O.
+ +

2
( )