Andrea is performing an experiment in which she needs to know when a strong acid is present. She is not sure which indicator to use, so she looks up the following table in her science textbook. According to the textbook, which indicator should Andrea use?

Hint: Neutral substances have a pH of 7. Acids have a pH that is less than 7, and bases have a pH that is greater than 7.

thymol Blue

phenol Red

phenolphthalein

trinitrobenzoic acid

Andrea should use phenolphthalein indicator to detect the presence of a strong acid. Phenolphthalein is an acid-base indicator that turns pink in the presence of a strong acid and colorless in the presence of a base.