News tagged with pigment
New compound could become 'cool blue' for energy efficiency in buildings
A new type of durable, environmentally-benign blue pigment discovered at Oregon State University has also been found to have unusual characteristics in reflecting heat – it's a "cool blue" compound that ...
Jun 01, 2012 |
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Squid ink from Jurassic period identical to modern squid ink, study shows
(Phys.org) -- An international team of researchers, including a University of Virginia professor, has found that two ink sacs from 160-million-year-old giant squid fossils discovered two years ago in England ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 21, 2012 |
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Seeing color traced back to genetic mutations
From the inside of our heads, it feels as if colors are intrinsic aspects of the outside world and our eyes are beautifully designed to see them. But we humans are merely sampling the possible ways of sensing the spectrum ...
May 21, 2012 |
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Designing a dye you can count on
Natural substances such as chlorophyll and the heme pigment of red blood cells contain colorful molecules known as porphyrins. They owe their exceptional visual characteristics to a ‘macrocyclic’ ...
May 24, 2012 |
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Plants could use light even more effectively for food production
(Phys.org) -- Scientists from Wageningen University have concluded that it is possible to develop plants that produce even more food by reducing the level of pigments which make no contribution to photosynthesis. The conclusion ...
May 24, 2012 |
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Plants may have a single ancestor
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international group of scientists has analyzed the DNA of primitive microscopic algae, and their findings suggest that all plants on Earth may have had a single ancestor.
Feb 17, 2012 |
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Are genes our destiny? 'Hidden' code in DNA evolves more rapidly than genetic code, scientists discover
A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers ...
Sep 16, 2011 |
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Scientists Make Ink Disappear, Make Paper Reusable
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite ongoing efforts to save the trees, many offices print high volumes of paper documents on a daily basis. Although many companies encourage paper recycling, both disposing of and recycling ...
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Squid and zebrafish cells inspire camouflaging smart materials
Researchers from the University of Bristol have created artificial muscles that can be transformed at the flick of a switch to mimic the remarkable camouflaging abilities of organisms such as squid and zebrafish.
May 02, 2012 |
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Color of robins' eggs determines parental care
A male robin will be more diligent in caring for its young if the eggs its mate lays are a brighter shade of blue.
May 14, 2012 |
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Accidental discovery produces durable new blue pigment for multiple applications
An accidental discovery in a laboratory at Oregon State University has apparently solved a quest that over thousands of years has absorbed the energies of ancient Egyptians, the Han dynasty in China, Mayan ...
Nov 16, 2009 |
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Advantages of living in the dark: The multiple evolution events of 'blind' cavefish
The blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) have not only lost their sight but have adapted to perpetual darkness by also losing their pigment (albinism) and having altered sleep patterns. New research publis ...
Jan 22, 2012 |
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Researchers discover mechanism that helps humans see in bright and low light
Ever wonder how your eyes adjust during a blackout? When we go from light to near total darkness, cells in the retina must quickly adjust. Vision scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Iridescence found in 40-million-year-old fossil bird feather
Known for their wide variety of vibrant plumage, birds have evolved various chemical and physical mechanisms to produce these beautiful colors over millions of years. A team of paleontologists and ornithologists ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 26, 2009 |
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Breakthrough model reveals evolution of ancient nervous systems through seashell colors
Determining the evolution of pigmentation patterns on mollusk seashells—which could aid in the understanding of ancient nervous systems—has proved to be a challenging feat for researchers. Now, however, through ...
Jan 12, 2012 |
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Pigment
A pigment is the material that changes the color of light it reflects as the result of selective color absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which the material itself emits light.
Many materials selectively absorb certain wavelengths of light. Materials that humans have chosen and developed for use as pigments usually have special properties that make them ideal for coloring other materials. A pigment must have a high tinting strength relative to the materials it colors. It must be stable in solid form at ambient temperatures.
For industrial applications, as well as in the arts, permanence and stability are desirable properties. Pigments that are not permanent are called fugitive. Fugitive pigments fade over time, or with exposure to light, while some eventually blacken.
Pigments are used for coloring paint, ink, plastic, fabric, cosmetics, food and other materials. Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colourants, usually ground into a fine powder. This powder is added to a vehicle (or matrix), a relatively neutral or colorless material that acts as a binder.
The worldwide market for inorganic, organic and special pigments had a total volume of around 7.4 million tons in 2006. Asia has the highest rate on a quantity basis followed by Europe and North America. In 2006, a turnover of 17.6 billion US$ (13 billion Euro) was reached mostly in Europe, followed by North America and Asia.
A distinction is usually made between a pigment, which is insoluble in the vehicle (resulting in a suspension), and a dye, which either is itself a liquid or is soluble in its vehicle (resulting in a solution). The term biological pigment is used for all colored substances independent of their solubility. A colorant can be both a pigment and a dye depending on the vehicle it is used in. In some cases, a pigment can be manufactured from a dye by precipitating a soluble dye with a metallic salt. The resulting pigment is called a lake pigment.
For more information about Pigment, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
