Organic chemistry, Fall 2009, UNHM
By
Michael Cochran-Boucher and An

• It has been said that “the Merrimac river is the same color as the shirts being dyed, as are the people swimming it its waters”.
• The river is no longer polluted and the waters are used for drinking by many neighboring towns.
• The old mill buildings provide space to a diverse group of interests, from the Segway to
UNHM. The N.H. mills are vibrant and they still make textiles, only of a different sort.
• Today Warwick Mill company makes fabrics used for the impact airbags of Mars
Exploration Rovers Spirit , fabric for missile defense blimps, even bullet proof vests.

• Colors of the ancient world were derived from plant and earth pigments.
• The pigments were mixed with natural resins, animal fats or drying oils .
• The range of colors was quite extensive but not unlimited like today.
• The colors available were also limited due to geographic isolation.
• The expense or rarity of certain plant or mineral substances.

• In ancient Greece the color purple was emblematic of wealth and prestige.
• The dye came from shellfish, harvested from the Mediterranean.
• Murex trunculus produced a blue-purple , Murex brandaris produced dark red stain.
• The Phoenicians mixed together the two dyes to produce the rich Carthaginian purple.
• The Phoenicians overharvested the snails to the brink of extinction.

The blue mineral Lapis Lazuli possessed purportedly life-giving powers.
• Egyptian Blue was used in conjunction with lapis lazuli for painting eyes
The color was used on the crowns of the pharaohs' statues and sarcophagus.
• The Nile is rendered in blue color on grave paintings
• Female figures colored in blue glaze were found in Egyptian graves
These might have represented life and creation.

• The yarns shown below are made by small independent artisans.
• They use simple techniques to achieve amazing results.
• These colored yarns were dyed using all natural basic organic dyes.
• The colors are beautiful, vibrant and durable.
• Many of these dyes are not available in large quantities, many are made by the artisans in small quantities.

• Prior to commercial dyes, the use of natural plant, mineral and other organic sources were used in the dyeing process.
• With the advent of new fuel -making procedures, where waste by-products of commercial plants are made into methanol,
It is possible that fast growing plants such as pokeweed could be used for fuel and for dye at the same time.
• This type of innovation can make a more “green” society.


Denim may be stylish, but there's an unexpected downside.:

Blue dye may pollute the planet.

In 2002, manufacturers produced 17,000 tons of synthetic indigo

Mostly to color jeans.

Indigo was naturally extracted from the woad plant.

Today the dye is usually produced from coal or oil--a process that can release toxic byproducts like cyanide into rivers and streams.

Scientist Scott Power in Palo Alto, Calif., claims he's found a "green" alternative
 vats of Escherichia coli bacteria (single-cell organisms).
 www.thefreelibrary.com/Blue+jeans:+bacteria

Who knows what the future will bring ???????

T i e D y e S h i r t s
• What we are going to be doing today is making wildly colored shirts.
• The process can be as simple as you care to make it.
• We are going to be making the project a little more interesting.
• The artisan’s fabric example on the left shows, by that by pre-treating the fabrics with stain block, we can create interesting designs.
• We hope that you will enjoy the process and wear the results.