The purpose of this lab was to become familiar with a method for determining the relative activities of metals as reducing agents. The first experiment tested the reaction of sodium with water. A test tube was filled with water and inverted in a large beaker of water ...

A test tube containing an acid and a test tube containing a base look the same. Scientists use indicators, substances that change color, to distinguish between acids and bases. You have probably heard that acids corrode metals. ...

In its time it became an important but controversial method for detecting iron in solution, before being supplanted by more effective reagents. The purpose of this paper is to review the history of the reagent and to show that not only is it an indicator of iron, but also an indicator of the chemical understanding of the times: 'a litmus test' of chemical knowledge. ...