Hydrion paper is a brand of litmus paper manufactured by the Micro Essential Laboratory corporation. These litmus papers measure the pH level of various substances. This has a variety of uses, but the paper is primarily used within educational institutions to demonstrate how the pH scale works.
The Company
Micro Essential Laboratory produces the Hydrion brand of litmus paper. The company was founded in 1934 by Walter Florin. The company, which is based in Brooklyn, New York, also uses the technology to test diabetics.
Litmus Paper
Litmus paper, the type of product that Hydrion paper is, tests the pH level of a substance, which means it determines is acidity. This is done based on a color change in the paper. Litmus paper generally comes in two colors, red or blue. Blue paper will stay the same color when submerged in a basic substance, and red paper will remain red in acidic substances. When red paper is placed in a base or blue paper is placed in an acid, the paper's color will change. The blue paper turns red because it is gaining ions from the acid causing a reaction within the paper.
Litmus Paper History
The pH scale was invented in 1909 in Europe, and some form of pH indicator had to be used to put the scale into practical usage. In 1934, Arnold Orville Beckman, who founded Beckman Instruments, invented the pH meter, which measures acidity.
Usage
The usage of litmus paper is somewhat limited by its very specific function. It is often used in schools to explain the difference between acids and bases. It is also used in agriculture and gardening to help determine the pH balance of soil. Variants of the paper are also used for testing the glucose level in the urine of diabetic patients. Reactions other than the standard color change are possible with other substances. For example, warmed bleach will release a chlorine gas that turns litmus paper white.
Tags: also used, blue paper, brand litmus, brand litmus paper, color change, Essential Laboratory
