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Pigments and Food Lakes
The term Lake is derived from the Arabic word lac; from the lac beetle. Lakes are formed by the precipitation of a pigment with a salt, resulting in an oil-dispersible compound that can be easily mixed with a dry medium. For example, aluminium-based lakes are pigments...
The Future of Matting Agents
When light is reflected from a surface, our eyes instinctively categorise it according to its gloss. A mirrored, or highly polished, surface has a high gloss as it exhibits regular reflection where the rays of light are reflected in parallel. On the contrary, a matte...
Pigments and Polyamides
Polyamide resins are high molecular weight polymers with amide bonds along their chains. They occur naturally, in the form of wool and silk, or can be synthesized by a condensation reaction of monomers to form an amide linkage, also known as peptide bonds. Common...
The Future of Ethyl Esters
Ethyl esters are esters that react with an ethyl alcohol during a condensation reaction, forming an unsaturated structure with a carbonyl group attached to it. They are commonly derived, purified, and esterfied from fish oils for the use in the supplements industry...
The Future of Titanium Dioxide
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an inorganic compound usually extracted from a titanium-iron mineral, ilmenite, and sometimes from rutile. To create pure titanium dioxide the compounds are chemically separated. It is found as a solid due to its high melting point 1843°C...
The Future of Iron Oxides
There are more than a dozen different oxides of iron that occur naturally in various mineral deposits. Iron oxide has been used as a pigment by humans since prehistory, and was common ingredient used for cave painting. Nowadays, iron oxide can be naturally excavated...
The Future of Gum Rosin
Sometimes referred to as Colophony or Greek pitch, gum rosin is a solid resin at room temperature derived from pines and other conifer trees. The sap of the tree is tapped, heated to evaporate the volatile liquid terpene compounds, and then purified. Gum rosin can...
The Future of Shellac
Shellac is a natural resin made from the secretions of the lac beetle. It is primarily cultivated in India, where it is harvested from trees. It is a natural thermoplastic; a material that is soft and flows under pressure when heated but becomes rigid at room...
The Future of Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral compound created by the hydrothermal alteration of biotite, phlogopite or chlorite. It mainly consists of hydrated silicate of Magnesium, Aluminium, Iron, Calcium and Potassium. Deposits can be found in continents around...