The dye industry has experienced tremendous growth due to textile industry demands. Some byproducts of the dye manufacturing process are toxic and pollute water systems and the environment. In addition, toxic heavy metal mordants are used to increase dye adsorption further contributing to toxic waste. Studies show iron can be used to replace such metals. To introduce green chemistry in a non-majors “Chemistry of Art” course, this work describes a laboratory activity involving extraction of a natural dye, use of a more sustainable mordant, and its interaction with a variety of textiles. Red (purple) cabbage (<i>Brassica oleracea</i>) yields a natural dye that also acts as a pH indicator, and iron sulfate can be used as a mordant. Test fabric strips comprised of five different textiles (three natural and two synthetic) are used as the substrate. This laboratory activity uses this dye and mordant combination to explore intermolecular interactions, pH, and textile chemistry with students. Additionally, ATR-FTIR is used to show different vibrational signatures of the textiles. Here, we present the activity and provide a guide for implementing it into the classroom. We hope that exploring green chemistry solutions with non-majors and the problem of toxicity created by the ever-increasing use of synthesized and heavy-metal dyes used currently by the textile industry will help students see the importance and usefulness of chemistry.

Exploration of green chemistry concepts in natural dyes and design of a laboratory activity for non-chemistry majors

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.