Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):8-11(ISSN: 2141-7016)

were heated to a temperature of about 70oC and 0.5 g unavailability of a suitable solvent made it impossible
each of the dyes was added to one of the melted wax. to examine the infrared spectrum of the dye.
The entire mixture was stirred vigorously and poured
into a candle mould through which a wick had been O H
passed. This was allowed to remain in the mould for C N
abut 10 minutes during which it solidifies. On C C
N C
solidification, it was put into cold water and from one
end of the mould the candle was removed. H O

O H
Spectroscopic Analysis
C N
The ultraviolet and visible spectra were run using
C C
ethanol on a Unico – Uv2102 PC spectrophotometer.
N C
Infrared spectra were obtained on a magna – IR
system 750 spectrophotometer using KBr disc. OH
Scheme 2
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 shows the physical properties of the dyes. Table 1: Physical data of the dyes
Selection of the solvent used in the extraction, Dye Solvent Physical Mp ( % ) Yield ( % )
used for colour of
primarily depends on the availability of the solvent as extraction dye
well as the solubility of the dye in the solvent. The Rothmania Water Dark blue > 300 0.873
Rothmania hispidia plant as have already been said, hispidea Dye
does not contain the dark blue dye but rather a Pterocarpus 96 % Dark red 130 – 10.430
osun Dye ethanol 132
colourless liquid which changes to light yellow on Terminalia 96 % Orange red 100 – 1.500
steeping in water and subsequently to the dark blue superba Dye ethanol 102
dye on oxidation by air. This is exactly the process of
obtaining indigo dye from Indigofera tinctoria In the extraction of the dye from pterocarpus osun,
(D’auria, Gilchrist and Johnstone, 1973). Although water was not used because the dye is insoluble in
the structure of the dye is yet to be elucidated it is water. However, the dye is extremely soluble in
believed that the colourless liquid is indican - a ethanol and therefore ethanol was used to obtain a
glucoside of indoxyl, which is hydrolyzed by the high yield. Nevertheless, because of its high
enzyme present in the plant material, to indoxyl solubility in ethanol, it was difficult for the dye to
during fermentation process. The indoxyl when precipitate out from the solution without a
oxidized by atmospheric oxygen gives indigo, which “precipitating” solvent. Hence, to precipitate the dye
is precipitated as a dark blue solid and filtered off. requires the addition of water to the concentrated
CH2OH
O OH O
CH2OH solution. The amount of water added to avoid
C O H H2O C OH H
H
H
OH
H precipitating impurities is when the ratio of water to
CH OH + H OH
N H (enzyme)
N
CH
H OH
the concentrate is 3:1. The dye showed absorption
OH H
OH H band in the utraviolet region at 226 nm, which is
H Indoxyl H
(yellow) glucose consistent with the substituted benzene ring and
Indican
shows the presence of a conjugated system. The
absorption band observed at 474 and 506 nm are in
C O H

C H
agreement with the dark red colour of the dye. The
N
infrared absorption band observed at 3400cm-1 shows
In d o x y l H
( y e llo w ) the presence of OH (hydrogen bonded) in phenols. It
O H can also be due to N-H (stretching) in primary
[ O ]
C N aromatic amines which is hydrogen bonded. The
C C band at 1350 -1280 cm-1 is attributable to C –N
N C
(stretching) in primary amines. Also observed was
H O
the absorption band of C – O (stretching) in phenols.
I n d ig o ( d a r k b lu e )
Scheme 1: Typical process of forming indigo dye
The dye from Teminalia superba is insoluble in water
but soluble in a number of organic solvents such as
The ultraviolet spectrum of the dye showed
ethanol, methanol and acetic acid. Extraction with
absorption maxima at 294 and 324 nm, which could
ethanol was due to its availability. The solubility of
be due to multiple conjugations in the compound. It
the dye in ethanol was such that it was able to
also showed a maximum absorption in the visible
precipitate after concentration without any
region at 595 nm as against 602 nm in the literature ‘’precipitating’’ solvent. The absorption band in the
for indigo. The difference could be due to possible
ultraviolet region observed at 344 nm suggests the
tautomerism in the dye (Scheme 2). The
presence of a long conjugated system. The observed
absorption in the visible region at 478 nm is

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