Chemistry Sim · Acids & Bases
Pick a substance, predict acidic, basic or neutral, then dip virtual red and blue litmus strips to check your answer.
Blue litmus turns red in acid. Red litmus turns blue in base. Neutral substances change neither.
1. Pick a substance. 2. Make your prediction. 3. Dip the strips.
Every test you run is recorded here.
| Substance | Blue litmus | Red litmus | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| No tests yet. | |||
Litmus is a dye extracted from lichens. Acids turn blue litmus paper red; bases turn red litmus paper blue. If neither strip changes, the substance is neutral. Litmus tells you acid-or-base, but not how strong — for that you need a pH value.
A strip that keeps its color is still data. Litmus only flips color when a solution is clearly acidic or clearly basic, so a substance like distilled water leaves both strips unchanged. Litmus cannot tell you the exact pH or how close to neutral something is — for that you need indicator solution or a pH meter.