Why does not liquid ammonia show any color change with red litmus or phenolphthalein?

Because this typically occurs as an extremely hard crystalline mineral, which occurs naturally on some planets. When placed in a high frequency electromagnetic field, magnetic eddies are induced in its structure which keep charged particles away from the crystal lattice. This prevents it from reacting with antimatter when so energized, because the antimatter atoms never actually touch it. Therefore, it is used to contain and regulate the annihilation reaction of matter and antimatter in a starship's warp core, which otherwise would explode from the uncontrolled annihilation reaction. Though low-quality artificial crystals can be grown or replicated, they are limited in the power of the reaction they can regulate without fragmenting, and are therefore largely unsuitable for warp drive applications. Due to the need for natural dilithium crystals for interstellar travel, deposits of this material are a highly contested resource, and as such, dilithium crystals have led to more interstellar conflict than all other reasons combined.


The streams of matter and antimatter directed into crystallized dilithium are unbalanced: there is usually much more matter in the stream than antimatter. The energy generated in the annihilation reaction heats up the excess deuterium gas, producing a plasma that is used to power the warp drives that allow starships to travel faster than light. In addition, most starships use this plasma as a power source for the ship's systems; in the series Enterprise, this was referred to as an electro-plasma system. The specific details of this reaction were officially established in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series and technical manual; in earlier works it is not clearly definedWhy does not liquid ammonia show any color change with red litmus or phenolphthalein?
Both of those are acid indicators. What you need is a base indicator.