PH effects on membrane permeability

[scarling]

I had this lab done where we took beets and tested the effects of pH on membrane permeability.

We used different concentrations of HCl and NaOH. Why did I get such a strong colour intensity with a test tube that had 0.001 M NaOH? And how do I know this experiment affected the protein membrane? These are probably silly questions to ask.

 

[Ouabache]

Welcome to the PF forums! if you haven't already looked around, you will find a lot of interesting and informative discussions here.

If you have homework questions like this one about a lab you are working on, you should explain what you have learned so far about your experiment. Can you think of a reason why a certain concentration of NaOH or HCl would produce a strong colour? Perhaps you can do some reading about pigments in beets and find out what kind of membranes protect them from leaking out of the cells. Then you could formulate an hypothesis to explain your results. The main thing is to show us your thoughts, then we can offer our thoughts and expertise.