What is the Difference between pH Litmus Paper and Urine pH Test Strips?

What is the Difference between pH Litmus Paper and Urine pH Test Strips?

Litmus paper and pH papers are two of the most common alternatives to test the acidity or alkalinity of any liquid or fluid. This property of pH papers, when used for the purpose of testing the alkalinity of urine, is referred to as urine pH test strips. Though both serve the same purpose, it is interesting to note that there is a significantdifferencebetween pH litmus paper and urine pH test strips.

Before discussing thedifferencebetween pH litmus paper and urine pH test strips, it is important to understand the basic concept of pH. It may be defined as the negativelogarithmic value of the hydrogen ion concentration. The pH measurement scale ranges between zero and fourteen, with seven being the neutral point. All readings below and above seven refers to acidity and alkalinity, respectively. There are many different ways to measure the pH of a substance. However, litmus and pH papers are most frequently used because they are inexpensive and simple to use.

What is Litmus Paper?

This is probably the oldest and the most reliable method of measuring pH. Almost all of us have used these papers in the high school chemistry classes. Functionally speaking, litmus paper is an indicator capable ofdetermining the acidity and alkalinity of different solutions. Red and blue are the two common types of litmus papers. Red litmus is used to test whether a solution is basic in nature and the same is indicated by color change of the litmus paper from red to blue. Blue litmus functions in just the opposite way, and turns from blue to red when it comes in contact with an acidic solution. Purple litmus papers are also available, and these neutral papers are used to detect both acidic and alkaline solutions by color change.

Mentioned below are some important facts to note about litmus papers.

• Readings can be obtained instantaneously and usually very easily
• Can be used by people without any knowledge of pH

What is pH Paper?

pH papers are used for the same purpose as litmus, but require some basic knowledge of the pH scale. These paper strips are available in many different shapes and forms in the market, and are considered to be a prompt andapproximate alternative to the high precision measurement by pH meters. In contact with a solution, these papers display a color based on the solution’s pH. Each color of the strip represents a specific pH value and same can be found in a color chart provided with the product.

The difference between pH litmus paper and urine pH test strips can be summarized as mentioned below.

• H papers are used to determine a solution’s pH value, but litmus paper is used to ascertain a solution’s alkalinity or acidity.
• pH papers can provide the pH value, but litmus can not
• The results provided by pH papers is more precise compared to litmus
• pH papers provide a range of colors representing different pH vales, but litmus is capable of giving only two colors.