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phenolphthalein: water into wine

jimtron

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jimtron
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I found this handy article, which explains how to create the illusion of turning water into wine via phenolphthalein. I've got something coming up where I'd like to demonstrate this, but I don't know where to get the phenolphthalein.

Anyone know of a good chemical supply house for this? Also, I'm scientifically pretty ignorant (not only scientifically, actually). Is this pretty safe, as long as no one drinks this?
 
jimtron said:
I found this handy article, which explains how to create the illusion of turning water into wine via phenolphthalein. I've got something coming up where I'd like to demonstrate this, but I don't know where to get the phenolphthalein.

Anyone know of a good chemical supply house for this? Also, I'm scientifically pretty ignorant (not only scientifically, actually). Is this pretty safe, as long as no one drinks this?
Click to expand...

Phenolphthalein is used as an indicator in acid-base titrations. It turns a distinctive bright pink color. It's very safe to use (you might want to wear a pair of gloves), but I wouldn't recommend drinking it!

You can find it in any high school chemistry classroom and in many scientific labs. I bet it wouldn't be too hard to buy, either.
 
By the way, I just spend about three hours using phenolphthalein. I am making up various acids in the lab today for my column chemistry.

Maybe I should have been making wine, instead... hmm...
 
From wikipedia.com:

"Phenolphthalein has been used for over a century as a laxative, but is now being removed from the market because of concerns over carcinogenity. However, the small amounts usually used in experiments are harmless. Phenolphthalein is also commonly used in a mixture, primarily by forensic scientists, to test for the presence of blood."

Carcinogenic wine? Hmm...
 
Yes, an alkaline solution (anything above pH 8.3 in this case), will turn a shade of claret if a drop or two of phenolphthalein are added. Do not kid people into tasting it.
Phenolphthalein is a waxy solid. The stuff used as a commercial titration agent is generally in a methanol solution. Also, the lab solution is vastly more concentrated than the concentration in laxatives.

Under no circumstances should anyone drink water , or anything else to which the lab reagent has been added.

The oil industry abounds with tales of people who made enemies of mud engineers (who use the stuff daily in lab tests) and found themselves on a helicopter, wearing an insulated flight suit and with an uncontrollable need to move their bowels. Whether it ever actually happened is anyone's guess, but only a fool experiments on real people with lab reagents. If he's not headed for jail, there's assuredly a kicking in his immediate future.

Don't mess with this , or any lab reagent. Clear?
 
Phenolphthalein is (at least used to be) added to chemical grade ethanol to prevent people from using it for non-chemical purposes (so to speak).
 
Any laboratory supplier should have it.

Get some Thymolphthalein while you're at it. Turns blue above pH 10.

There are lots of similar indicators. Multi-range pH paper is more use.
 
The Jews used to mix their wine with water, so there would have been jugs of each there. My guess is, the host got blotto and forgot which were which. When he found only water in some of the jugs, jesus probably piped up with "Try those jugs over there...."
 
Incidentally, jimtron- the article you linked to suggests using a few drops of sodium hydroxide solution to raise the pH.
Sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda (NaOH) is an extremely strong alkali.
Many is the cold desert night I've spent sitting on a 50 lb can of caustic, into which I have dumped a few litres of water, now happily boiling...sheer stupidity, but hey- I'm oilfield trash!

Caustic soda is far more dangerous than phenolphthalein, quickly causing serious contact burns. Get it in your eyes and you will almost certainly blind yourself. It used to be the main ingredient of drain cleaners. It may still be. Giving anyone a solution of caustic soda to drink is murder and very painful murder at that.

In any case you emphatically do not need it for this trick. Any alkali will do. I suggest a teaspoon of washing soda (sodium carbonate), which is a lot less dangerous. But even a bit of cheap soap should be enough to illustrate the effect.
 
jimtron said:
Sam: thanks for the warnings. Are there grocery store products that are mainly sodium carbonate?

I found the clock reaction kit, which looks interesting, but the water turns black instead of wine-hued.
Click to expand...

Just to add that most detergents, dishwashing or clothes, are very strongly basic. A small granule will turn phenolpthalein red (it won't make the wine taste better though).

That clock reaction never works as well as when perchloric acid is used as a reagent (perchloric acid, while quite safe, is rapidly disappearing from many laboratories because its organic salts are quite explosive).
 
anor's right. Washing soda,(this IS sodium carbonate), detergent, cheaper soap (pricy stuff tends to be less alkaline). I just tried some Phenolphthalein in water and dipped a cake of soap in it. A cheeky little rose'. Detergent might foam which spoils the trick.


And yeah- you don't want evaporated perchlorate in your kitchen sink. Dig hole in garden, dump with 2 buckets of water.
 
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