{"id":63384,"date":"2020-05-06T11:03:22","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T15:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/so-sew-easy.com\/?p=63384"},"modified":"2022-06-19T15:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-19T19:03:40","slug":"history-of-dyeing-fabric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/so-sew-easy.com\/history-of-dyeing-fabric\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History Of Dyeing Fabric"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Greatest Discovery In The History Of Dyeing Fabric <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the Easter vacation of 1856, Cable Street, east London, and a young William H. Perkin is hunched over his laboratory table. Fumes and gasses rise up from his work and struggle to filter out of the tiny windows of the sparse and cramped apartment. The primitive lab is on the top floor of the building and right above his own home.\u00a0 Through the open window, the sounds of hoof steps and men's voices can easily be heard, but the enterprising chemist pays them no mind. His teacher, the well-respected August Wilhelm von Hofmann, has left for Germany, giving the ambitious Perkin precious time alone to his work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only a few months ago Hofmann had published his remarkable hypothesis, that the synthesis of quinine from coal tar may be possible. Whoever could do it was surely bound for success, quinine, a treatment for malaria, was extremely rare in nature, fetching a hefty price with demand from the far-flung colonies. Perkin had taken to the work with vigor, impressing his teacher. Fortunately, Hofmann trusted his young assistant enough to work on the project in his absence \u2013 the field of chemistry was only in its infancy, and an up-and-coming intelligent assistant was a blessing and a great asset. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This day, Perkin was experimenting with the substances derived from coal-tar, a noxious industrial waste produced when burning coal and coke. Being in the throws of the industrial revolution, finding some sort of use for this toxic residue was a potential gold mine.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perkin had already completed one experiment using a component of coal tar, the toxic toluene. He\u2019d isolated a derivative, called allyl-toluidine, then attempted to transform it into quinine by oxidizing it in a mixture of acids. This test ended in failure, leaving behind a reddish-black powder at the bottom of his test tube. Unperturbed, he continued, this time with another substance. Failure, after all, was simply another piece to the puzzle.  The more he failed, the clearer, he hoped, the picture would become.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time he chose a simpler compound, aniline \u2013 an oily liquid again synthesized from coal tar. It had the appearance of cooking oil but unfortunately smelt strongly of rotten fish. However, his initial discomfort at the smell was quickly overtaken by his curiosity, and before long the odor was only his neighbor's problem. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, he mixed the substance with the same acids, and like before the experiment failed. This time, however, a black, goo was at the bottom of the test tube. Marking that one off the list, Perkin moved to the sink and began to wash out the tube. Then he saw something very interesting.  Along the side of the glass, remained a bright purple residue. The color was extremely deep and vivid, and it clung to the glass stubbornly. Fascinated, Perkin treated his new substance with alcohol and dabbed it with a cotton cloth \u2013 the vivid purple transferred to the cloth perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Perkin had accidentally discovered the first man-made dye, in royal purple no less. After more experiments proving the dye's merit, he filed for a patent in August 1856 at only 18 years old. Needless to say, this discovery revolutionized fabric dyeing and made Perkin a rich man \u2013 bringing bright colors to men and women the world over, at a fraction of their previous cost.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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