Coloring Rate of Phenolphthalein by Reaction with Alkaline Solution Observed by Liquid-Droplet Collision

Many important chemical reactions are induced by mixing two solutions. This paper presents a new way to measure rates of rapid chemical reactions induced by mixing two reactant solutions using a liquid-droplet collision. The coloring reaction of phenolphthalein (H2PP) by a reaction with NaOH is investigated kinetically. Liquid droplets of H2PP/ethanol and NaOH/H2O solutions are made to collide, which induces a reaction that transforms H2PP into a deprotonated form (PP(2-)). The concentration of PP(2-) is evaluated from the RGB values of pixels in the colored droplet images, and is measured as a function of the elapsed time from the collision. The obtained rate constant is (2.2 ± 0.7) × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1), which is the rate constant for the rate-determining step of the coloring reaction of H2PP. This method was shown to be applicable to determine rate constants of rapid chemical reactions between two solutions.