Question

The litmus is obtained from which of the following?
A) Lecanora
B) Evernia
C) Cladonia
D)None of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: Litmus is a water-soluble mixture that can be used to differentiate between acidic or basic. It tells us whether the solution is acidic or basic in nature.

Complete answer:
The term litmus means to dye or colour. Litmus is found in many species of Lichens like Roccella Tinctoria and Lecanora Tartarea.
So the correct answer is Lecanora.
Uses of Litmus:
>The main use of litmus is to test whether a solution is acidic or basic.
>Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions.
>Red litmus paper turns blue under basic conditions.
>Wet litmus paper is also used to test for water-soluble gases.
>The ammonia gas which is alkaline turns red litmus paper into the blue.

Lichen is a composite organism that originates from algae or cyanobacteria. The lichens help in obtaining the litmus solution.
>The primary raw materials used to make litmus paper are
>Wood cellulose
>Lichens
>Adjunct compounds.

Note: The ability of litmus paper to change its colour is because of litmus paper being infused with lichens. Lichens that are used to produce litmus paper are Roccella Tinctoria and Lecanora Tartarea.
The Netherlands is one of the largest producers of litmus paper products. In the process of extracting litmus solution from lichens the crushing and grinding of lichens are done. These dyes are then added to neutral water to obtain the required litmus solution.