Litmus paper

I got a package of litmus paper from eBay. People on Amazon complain about the litmus paper they bought and their pH testers not being accurate so it makes sense to test it.  This would have been useful last night with the peach cupcakes.

Incidentally, I took those peach cupcakes from last night over to the ladies who work together. They squealed with childlike delight. Literally. They jumped up to receive the tray of cupcakes. One girl said, "I've been thinking about these!" She effused, honestly it was embarrassing, "I've been craving these ever since you made them the last time." I forgot about that. "I tell my girlfriends all about what you did, how you even put the little seed inside. A pecan for a seed." I didn't do that this time. Damn. I completely forgot about that. So the moral of the story is: small things count even if it's not your own sort of thing.

0 is acidic, 7 is neutral, 14 is alkaline.

Water is supposed to be neutral but sometimes it isn't.

It is. We're off to a good start. But maybe the paper itself is nonreactive.

Apple cider is supposed to be acidic. 

It is, and more than I imagined. This was straight cider vinegar undiluted with water if that means anything. 

Baking soda is supposed to be alkaline.

It is, but less than I imagined. I'm a little disappointed, but it is diluted in water so I double the amount of baking soda and it tests the same. 

Now baking soda and vinegar should react and cancel out each other by the reaction.  The doubled baking soda water is dumped into the cider vinegar and it foamed like mad.

It appears to be right where it should be but a little bit darker. 

Baking powder is baking soda with two additional acids, one activated by heat. This water is not heated so it will not have the full effect of its total acid, I think.  I imagine that unheated it should test neutral, a little alkaline because its alkaline and its acid cancel each other but one of the acids is not fully activated. 

Wonderful. You may now proceed to the third grade elementary school science class.