phenolphthalein
1
9.9
A lab chemical that turns pink in basic liquids to show a base is present
- noun
- /ˌfɛnəlˈθeɪliːn/
- Specialized
:
fenolftaleína
- In chemistry class, we learned that phenolphthalein can indicate pH changes by changing color.
- phenolphthalein test
Examples
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- Bad phenolphthalein?
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The solution turned bright pink after adding the phenolphthalein indicator, confirming it was alkaline.
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During the experiment, the phenolphthalein solution helped us determine the acidity of the liquid.
Synonyms
9.9
A dye that changes color to show acidity between pH 3.0 and 4.6
detects alkalinity by turning pink above pH 8
9.6
A dye used to show if a liquid is acidic or basic
detects alkalinity by turning pink above pH 8
How Acidic
Surface Forms
phenolphthalein singular
phenolphthaleins plural
Morphology
Etymology
The word phenolphthalein comes from the parts phenol and phthalein, where phenol is a common chemical name and phthalein comes from a word for 'dye'. So it is a 'phenol' chemical that changes color, which explains why phenolphthalein is used as an indicator that turns pink in a basic solution.