The Differences Between Pigments and Dyes

Both pigments and dyes are used to color different materials, but the way in which they do it is very, very different. It’s all got to do with solubility – the tendency to dissolve in a liquid, especially water. Think for a moment of two glasses of water standing side by side – the one is mixed with salt, the other with mud.

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Solvency

The sloppy water is earthy colored, with a wide range of soil and mud particles suspended in the water. Give it sufficient opportunity and the particles will choose the base of the glass. This blend is known as a suspension.

Presently take the salt water. Blending the salt in with the water brings about it totally dissolving in the water. Put a top on the glass to stay away from vanishing, and you won't get a layer of salt particles choosing the base of the glass. So this blend is known as an answer.

Pigments, like the mud in the above example, are finely ground particles of color that get suspended in a liquid (usually not water, and called the dispersing agent or vehicle). Whereas dyes are chemicals that, like the salt above, get dissolved in a medium (such as water) to create a colorant.

Application

The differences between pigments and dyes don’t stop there. How the colorant actually attaches itself to the material also differs greatly between pigments and dyes. While dyes chemically bind with the material, pigments are painted onto the surface, so they physically bind.

The pigment, mixed with the dispersing agent, is applied to the base and forms a coating on top. The dispersing agent basically makes it stick to the surface of the material.

Dyes, on the other hand, chemically bind to a material – they’re not painted on as layer but actually become part of the material. Whether the dye will attach itself or not depends on the chemical nature of the material being dyed and the dye itself. Sometimes, a dye needs another chemical to bind and that chemical is called a mordant.

More differences

When it comes to lightfastness, pigments are much more lightfast than dyes. Light, especially sunlight, destroys the color in a dyed object by breaking open electronic bonding within the molecules. Dyed material is therefore often not stable and can fade, sometimes rather quickly, when exposed to light. (Though this is true for some pigments too, and why art museums tend to keep their lights on dim to protect their paintings).

Uses

Typically, dyes are uses in the textile and paper industries. Leather and wood are also usually dyed. As are waxes, lubricating oils, polishes, and gasoline. Food is often colored with natural dyes – or synthetic dyes that have been approved as safe for human consumption. Pigments, on the other hand, usually color rubber, plastic and resin products.

Darshan industries is manufacturer & exporter of dyestuffs. We manufacture acid, basic and solvent dyestuffs in India.

Established since 1992, Darshan Dyestuffs Industries is one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of quality dyestuff and pigments, since last 28 years. The company has a name of repute not only in India but also abroad for its high quality products and services.

The manufacturing unit of the company is equipped with latest machinery equipment of superior quality, supported by competent and hardworking skilled technicians, chemist & workers who develop new products of highest quality at competitive prices.

The organization aims to produce excellent quality dyestuff and pigments coupled with satisfying services to the clients across the globe. The growing acceptance of our products from around the world has made us more responsible and hardworking, and the day the not far off when we will secure the top position in the dyestuffs and pigments market of the world.

WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS

Darshan Industries is the pioneer manufacturer and exporter of quality dyestuffs, pigments and textiles auxiliaries for textile industries, industrial, agro chemicals, paint, plastics, coatings industries, leather industries, paper industries, printing ink manufacturing industries, soap & detergent industries and food industries.

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Darshan industries is manufacturer & exporter of dyestuffs. We manufacture acid, basic and solvent dyestuffs in India.