Chemistry Project

“Acidity In Tea”

Submitted By: Submitted

To:
___________________
___________________
XI ‘B’
 Certificate of Merit

This certificate of merit is to certify that

___________________ of class XI ‘B’ of D.A.V. Sushil
Kedia Vishwa Bharati Higher Secondary School has
satisfactorily completed the given Chemistry
assignment on the topic, “Acidity in Tea” for the
year 2010-2011.

________________
________________
Mr. Anand Yadav Ms.
Bhubhaneshwari Rao
Chemistry Department
Principal
 D.A.V. School
D.A.V. School

Acknowledgement
First of all, I would like to express my utmost
gratitude to my chemistry teachers, Mr. Anand
Yadav and Mr. K.K.K. for giving me such a
wonderful chance to expand my knowledge by
granting me the opportunity to do a project on the,
“Acidity in Tea”.

Secondly, I would like to thank all the members of

this beloved family of ours, D.A.V.S.K.V.B. Higher
Secondary School, for the constant help and
support that everyone has provided us with, staff
members, friends, etc.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents and

friends for providing me with useful information,
help and ideas that have proved very useful in the
completion of this assignment.

Thank You

____________________

Introduction: What is
Tea?
Tea can be described as an agricultural plant, that
is industrially important because of the produce of
its leaves, when immersed in hot water. Tea,
however is an aromatic beverage, that can be
prepared in several different ways. Each method of
preparation has a certain effect on the acidity of
the beverage
Our aim in this experiment is to capture the
difference in the acidity of the beverage by
analyzing the mixture in different ways. Hence, we
prepare the beverage in different popular forms,
and check its acidity by using a universal indicator.
Tea, after water, is the world’s most popular
beverage of consumption, as it is not extremely
expensive, and has a pleasant texture and aroma.
The leaves of the tea plant (Camelia Sinensis) are
oxidized and cured. The leaves are then introduced
into hot/boiling water, which causes a release in
the flavor and color contained in the leaf of the
plant. Some people prefer to drink tea in this form,
while others prefer it with milk. Some people add
sugar. All these activities cause different outcomes
in the pH value of the beverage. That is where we
come in. We are to analyze these different
preferences and find each preparation’s respective
resultant acidity/basicity.

Different Kinds of Tea

There are tens of hundreds of different species of
tea. However, due to unavailability, we can only
test a certain limited amount. However, I wish to
discuss several popular species and their uses.
Normal tea is your everyday garden variety leaf,
that has been oxidized and cured into either dark
black, lighter black or even white varieties. This
type of tea is usually drunk for the purpose of the
drug present in it (the stimulants, ‘Caffeine’ and
‘Theanine’) which increases human activity and
reduces stress respectively.
White Tea: This tea is wilted and the leaves are
unoxidized
Yellow Tea: This tea is unwilted and unoxidized.
The leaves are, however allowed to turn slightly
yellow.
Green Tea: This tea is also unwilted and
unoxidized. It is usually herbal (has herbal
additives). Unlike yellow tea, it is not allowed to
turn yellow.
Oolong Tea: This is traditional Chinese tea. The tea
is wilted and bruised and allowed to undergo
partial oxidization
Black Tea: This tea is wilted, sometimes crushed
and generally highly oxidized. This tea is probably
the most consumed.

Factors Affecting Tea’s

pH Value
Tea may be consumed in several different ways. As
stated earlier, each method of preparation may
impact the acidity and basicity.
1.Additives: Additives are elements that are
added to tea, after it has been prepared. The
addition of additives make tea tastier,
healthier, longer lasting, more expensive, etc.
and hence alter the pH value
2. Oxidation: The levels of oxidation of the leaves
also affect pH value. Highly oxidized tea (e.g.
black tea) has different acidity compared to
unoxidized or lightly oxidized tea (e.g. Green
Tea, Oolong Tea).
3.Addition of Milk: Milk is a colloid that comprises
of lactic acid, and hence is responsible for an
increase in acidity in tea.
4.Addition of Sugar: Sugar is also responsible for
the change in pH value in beverages, as we will
find experimentally
5.Type of Water: Boiled tap water in Kathmandu
compared to Filtered Water and water that has
undergone “Reverse Osmosis” also has
different pH levels.
Health Benefits