A student preparing to explain indigo dyeing writes down these points:
- Blue indigo pigment is not readily soluble in water.
- In a low-oxygen dye vat, indigo is chemically reduced to a pale, soluble form.
- That soluble form penetrates textile fibers.
- When the wet textile is removed and exposed to air, the dye oxidizes back into insoluble blue indigo.
- The blue pigment then remains trapped in the fibers.
Which choice most clearly explains why fabric emerges pale but turns blue in air using only information from the notes?