Introduction
Dyes were in use before recorded history. Indigo, a pigment extracted from a plant, was
used to dye burial cloths for Egyptian mummies over 4,000 years ago. Indigo is used today to
dye blue jeans. Tyrian purple was derived from Mediterranean mollusks. Approximately 9,000
mollusks were needed to give one gram of the dye.
American Indians used cochineal, a scarlet dye extracted from the dried bodies of
insects, to color their baskets and clothing. The red dye alizarin, extracted from madder root,
was known to the ancient Egyptians and Persians. Alizarin was used to dye the red coats of
British soldiers in the American Revolution, the red caps and trousers of French soldiers in the
French Revolution, and the violins of Antonio Stradivari. Structures for these dyes are shown in
Figure 1.