Why are we dyeing our goggles? Color plays an important role in chemistry. Dyeing is an example of this…

For most of human history, dyes were made from natural ingredients – e.g., insects, barks, flowers, berries, etc.

Many of these dyes were expensive. For example, royal purple was made from snails. It took 12,000 snails to produce just enough to dye a single dress. It was so costly that only royalty could afford to wear it.

For most of human history, only the very wealthy could afford to wear bright colors.

Then – in 1856 – something big happened! The story begins with malaria ravaging England. The only known treatment was a drug called quinine.

Quinine was derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. This bark had to be brought from South America. It was expensive!

W.H. Perkins - an 18-year old student home on vacation - attempted to synthesize quinine from coal tar. (Coal tar was a cheap, plentiful byproduct of coal)

Instead, he accidentally made a purple dye – the first synthetic dye! At this point, he did what Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), and Larry Page & Sergey Brin (Google) did so many years later…

He quit school and founded a business. His company manufactured the synthetic dye. This color, (MAUVE) became “all the rage,” and he got rich! Queen Victoria wore a mauve dress to the Royal Exhibition in 1862

Many other synthetic dyes were discovered and manufactured. Now, you do not have to be rich to wear bright colors!

But why is this important in chemistry???

Dye manufacturing became the first ever large- scale chemical industry.

Chemistry evolved from a hobby for the wealthy few….

…to a well-paid, middle class occupation for large numbers of people. Now, hundreds of chemists researched and experimented to develop new dyes…

The amount of chemical knowledge “exploded” exponentially.

Research into new dyes led to the development of many other types of products; fertilizers and explosives are some examples…

AND the new dyes were tried as medicines. Sulfa drugs – the prelude to antibiotics – were made from dyes. They saved tens of thousands of soldiers in WW II

In 1896, the German dye manufacturer, Bayer, made aspirin.

In sum, as you dye your goggles, you are following in a proud chemical tradition that has reshaped the world we live in!!