INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COST-EFFECTIVE PHOTOMETRIC pH METER SENSOR USING NATURAL PIGMENTS

Abstract

There is a trend of development of analytical methodologies and technologies that allow in situ analysis, producing accurate information in real time, at low cost, using homemade experiments and devices to increase interest in scientific knowledge with a constructive approach in an interdisciplinary perspective in Chemistry Education. In this context, a photometric-chemometric method of analysis was developed to measure the pH of solutions using easily accessible and low-cost material based on the use of natural pigments found in red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.). Calibrations and determinations were performed by RGB measurements of pigment coloration in solution at different pH values using the free app Photometrix, converted to HSV, YCbCr and YUV color spaces and processed by Partial Least Squares regression (PLS). The best PLS model found was HSV with mean central scale obtained pH measurements with RMSEP 0.98, R2 0.97 and bias close to zero. In addition, experimental data were statistically validated. Analyzes of predicted pH from three independents experiments revealed high recoveries (95-103%) and low relative standard deviations. Thus, the PhotoMetrix app was viable for colorimetric pH determinations using the low-cost photometric pH meter sensor and a smartphone, improving accessibility and applicability in Chemistry Education.