The Pigment Purple

By Anonymous -

Purple

by Tej Mehta

How it got its name:

Purple came up in the ninth century as the old English word aspurpul. That word came from the latin word purpura. Purple was and still is used mostly as a decoration, for clothes, walls, dresses, and many other things.

How It's Made:

The Ancient Romans made purple dye from snails. The snails were not originally purple, but the Romans heated them in lead vats, making them exposed to heat and light, which harvests chemical precursors that lead to the dye Tyrian purple. Later, somebody accidentally figured out how to make the purple dye without capturing the thousands of snails that the Romans did. William Henry Perkin was trying to synthesize quinine (a material that could be used to fight malaria). But all he ended up with was a sticky, black mess. He tried to soak his tar-like material in alcohol, and he ended up with the purple dye. 
The snail that releases the purple dye.
I used Smithsonian and Gizmodo. 

THIS IS THE FINAL POST IN THE SERIES!!!

Thanks to:

Samuel Du (for the idea)
Samuel Desai (scheduling)

THIS IS POST #100!!!!!!


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