SOUTH INDIAN CULTURAL 

ASSOCIATION SENIOR SECONDRY 

SCHOOL NO.2,Sch.no.54 
VIJAYNAGAR INDORE 

 
CHEMISTRY PROJECT 
(For the partial fullfillment of BOARD practical exam) 
  
Academic Session:2019-20 
 
Submitted to:​ ​Mrs.Vandana Pant 
Submitted by:​Anush Jain  
Roll No. :​12201 
Class/Section :​XIIB 
Project Topic :​Dyes 
 

 
 CERTIFICATE 
 
This  is  to  cerify  that  Anush  Jain,  a 
student  of  class  XII  B  has 
successfully  completed  the  project  on 
the topic : 
' Dyes ' under the guidance of 
Mrs.Vandana Pant mam (subject 
teacher )during year 2019-20, in 
partial fulfillment of Central Board 
of Secondary Education(CBSE) 
practical exam.     
 
 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT   
  
First  of  all,  I am immensely indebted to almighty god for his blessings and grace 
without  which  I  could  not  have  undertaken  this  task  and  my efforts would never 
have been a success.  
  I  humbly  consider  a  privilege  and  honor  to  express  my  heartiest  and  profound 
gratitude  to  Sir  Madhukar  Pawar,  Principal  SICA  54,  Indore  for  his 
appropriate  direction,  valuable  suggestion,  under judging assistance so generously 
extended to me.  
  I  wish  to  express  my  deepest  feelings  of  gratitude  to  Mr.Sunil  Sharma  sir, 
Physics  department.For  her  erudite  involvement  and  sustained  guidance  which 
has  been  pivotal  in  my  project  work.  His  minute  observation,  precious  insights, 
critical comments have indeed greatly helped to shape my ideas.  
  This  guidance  and  support  received  from  my  entire  classmates  who  contributed 
and  who  are  contributing  to  this  project,  is  vital  for  the  success  of this project. I 
am grateful for their constant support and help.  
  I  also  owe  sense  of  gratitude  to  my  parents  for  encouragement  and  support 
throughout the project. 
 
 
 
 
 
-Anush Jain 

 
 
 
 INDEX. 
 
TOPICS  PG.NO. 

1. Introduction.     

2. What Makes Dyes coloured.     

3. History.   

4. Potential Techniques for Dyes.   

5. Classification.   

6. Production Techniques for Dyes.   

7. Dyeing.   

8. How to Dye The Fabric.   

9. Experiment.   

10. Application of Natural Dyes on   

Textiles. 

11. Advantages.   

12. Drawbacks.   

13. Future Prospects and Conclusion.   

14. Bibliography.   
 
 
 
   

 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
The art of dyeing is as old as our civilization.Natural Dyes were used only for 
coloring of textiles from ancient time the nineteenth century. 
As the name suggests,natural dyes are derived from natural 
resources.Colouring materials obtained from natural resources of 
plant,animal,mineral and microbial origins were used for colouration of various 
textile materials. 
Use of Natural Dyes started to decline after the invention of synthetic dyes 
in the second half of the nineteenth century.Recent environmental awareness 
has again revived interest in natural dyes mainly among environmentally 
conscious people.Natural dyes are considered eco friendly as these are 
renewable and biodegradable. 
Apart from their application in textiles,natural dyes are also used in the 
coloration of food,medicine etc. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pg 1 
 

WHAT MAKES DYES COLOURED ? 

 
Dyes are basically ionizing and aromatic compounds.They have chromospheres 
present in them.Their structures have aryl ring that has delocalized electron 
cloud of the dye.This alteration invariably results in the compounds absorbing 
radiation within the visible range of colours and not outside it.Human eyes 
detect this absorption and responds to the colours. 
Electrons may result in loss of colour;their removal may cause the rest of 
electrons to revert to the local orbits.As a consequence the ring ceases to be 
chromospheres. 
To conclude chromospheres are the atomic configuration which has delocalised 
electrons.Generally they are represented as carbon,nitrogen,oxygen and 
sulphur. 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pg 2 
 
 

HISTORY  
 
It was in 2600 BC when earliest written records of the use of dyestuffs were 
found in china.The preparation and application of dyestuffs is one of the 
oldest forms of human activities,evident of which were found by excavation at 
archeological sites where ancient fabrics were unearthed. 
The real breakthroughs in the history of dyes came in 1856 when a teenager 
who was experimenting at his makeshift laboratory in home made a certain 
discovery that acted as a sort of launching pad for the modern chemicals 
industry. 
William Perkin,an 18 year old student was working on chemical synthesis of 
natural products.In a classical case of serendipity ,the young William changed 
upon his famous "Aniline Mauve" dye while he was attempting synthesize 
quinine,the only cure for malaria. 
Perkin named his colour Mauveine,after the French name of non fast colour 
which was made of natural dyes.So "Mauve" was the first synthetic dye stuff 
Mauve was a derivative of coal tar.  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pg 3 
POTENTIAL SOURCES OF NATURAL 
DYES. 
 
Natural dyes are derived from natural resources and based upon their source 
of origin,these are broadly classified as :-plant,animal,mineral and microbial 
dyes,although plants are the major source of natural dyes. 
Dye plants used for natural dyeing of textiles such 
as,alkanet,annatto,chamomile,coreopsis,madder,safflower,indigo and so on. 
Plants to use for Natural Dyes :- 
(Following is the list of common dye plants and colour they yield)  
* Blue- Red cabbage,blueberries,blackberries. 
* Brown- Red beet skins. 
* Green- Nettle,spinach. 
* Purple- Elder berries,mulberries. 
* Orange- Yellow onion,dandelion heads. 
* Pink- Strawberries,cherries,roses. 
* Red- Hibiscus or Sumac flowers. 
* Creamy Brown- Ground coffee beans. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Pg 4 
 CLASSIFICATION. 
 
Dyes can be classified in several ways; each class has a very unique chemistry, 
structure and particular way of bonding.Some dyes can react chemically with 
the substrate forming strong bonds in the process and others can be held by 
physically forces. 
Some of the prominent ways of classification are given below :- 
* Natural-Synthetic. 
* Organic-Inorganic. 
* By area and method of application. 
* Chemical classification-Based on the nature of their respective 
chromospheres. 
* By nature of the electronic excitation. 
*According to dyeing method. 
-Anionic. 
-Direct. 
-Dispersed. 
   

 
 
 
 
 
Pg 5 
PROTECTION TECHNIQUES FOR 
NATURAL DYES. 
 
Unlike synthetic dyes,which are synthesized from chemical precursors,natural 
dyes are mostly obtained from various plants' parts.These dyes-bearing 
materials contain only a small percentage of dye usually 0.5-5%.These plant 
materials cannot be directly used for dyeing textiles. 
Also,many plant materials such as flowers and fruits are seasonal and contain 
a large amount of water and hence cannot be stored as such.Therefore,in 
order to make them suitable for textile dyeing purposes and make them 
available throughout the year,these are subjected to some processing 
operations.Collected plant materials are first dried:either in shade or in a hot 
air dryer at a low temperature about 313-323 K to reduce their water 
content to about 10-15% or less. 
Many materials can also be sun dried.Dried material is then powdered in a 
pulverizes to reduce particle size and to facilitate better dye 
extraction.These powdered and dried materials in most cases can be stored in 
airtight bags and containers for at least a year and used for dyeing whenever 
required. 
Storage under nitrogen can further prolong their shelf life. Many natural dye 
manufacturers sell such finally powdered materials and these are used by many 
cottage-level dyers practicing hand-dyeing out cheaper. 
However,these powders are unsuitable for use in various dyeing machine such 
as a package dyeing machine as the textile material act as a filter and the 
dye particles get trapped within it,resulting in patchy and uneven dyeing. 
Therefore purified dye powders are required for use in dyeing machines. 
For producing purified dye powders,dye has to be first extracted from 
dye-bearing materials and the extract thus obtained is then concentrated or 
dried to get liquid concentrates or purified ready-to-use powders.Various 
extraction and dyeing process for production of purified natural dyes are 
used. 
The different methods for extraction of colouring materials are : 
* Aqueous extraction. 
* Alkali or acid extraction. 
* Microwave and ultrasonic assisted extraction. 
 
* Fermentation. 
* Enzymatic extraction. 
* Solvent extraction. 
* Supercritical fluid extraction. 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DYEING. 
 
As for synthetic dyes,the amount of dye to be taken is given as '%shade'.It 
denotes the amount of dye(in gms) to be taken for dyeing 100gm of textile 
material.The terminology remains the same for the both crude dye material 
and purified extracts.As the dye content of raw material is low,its common to 
use 10-30%shade,whereas the amount can be reduced to 2-5% for the 
purified dyed extracts.  
A large quantity of mordants is needed for higher shades. As in the case 
with the synthetic dyes,the amount of water to be taken in he dye bath is an 
important parameter.In technical terms,it is given in the recipe as the 
material-to-liquor ratio(MLR).The MLR denotes the amount of water in ml 
required per gram of the fabric to be dyed. 
As natural dyes differ in their chemical constituents,their dyeing procedures 
also differ but their basic dyeing process is similar.Their may be different 
optimum temperature,time and pH of dyeing,but the basic steps remain the 
same.Many natural dyes are dyed at near boiling temperature on cotton.Wool 
and silk are dyed at a lower temperature,although some dyes may dye cotton 
also at low temperature.For dyeing, animal fibres wool,pashmina and 
silk,generally 1-2% of acetic acid is used during dyeing.The material to be 
dyed is introduced into the dyeing bath at room temperature and the 
temperature is then increased slowly to ensure of dyeing.The movement of 
textile material in bath tub is very important;otherwise the dyeing may not be 
uniform. 
After the dyeing is over,the dyed material is removed and allowed to cool 
down for some time and then washed with water again.Some traditional dyers 
have leaved the material in the dye bath itself to cool down a little and then 
removed the material for washing.The washed dyed material is then soaped 
with a hot soap or non-ionic detergent solution to remove loosely held dye and 
i again rinsed with water and dried in shade.At industrial scale hydro 
extractors are used to remove excess water during washing. 
Preparing the fabric for natural dye: 
Natural fabric such as cotton,silk and wool take better to natural dyes than 
do synthesis.If we use cotton,make it hasn't been worn because colour won't 
take it,the fabric may have any of body oil.With most dyes and materials we 
have to prepare the fabric so that the colour will adhere to it and not run,a 
process called fixing.Fixing requires a mordant or fixer;alum,lemon 
juice,vinegar and baking soda are common mordants. 
Start with white fabric,and wash it well.Add a small amount of mordant to one 
quart of warm water in a large stainless steel pot.Add the fabric to the 
pot,bring the liquid to the boil and then let it simmer for 45-60 
minutes.Remove the pot from the stove to cool;then use the tongs to remove 
the fabrics from the water.Rinse the fabric in cold water until it runs 
clear;then blot out the extra water with the help of paper towels. 
How to dye the fabric: 
Take the wet fabric and put it into a stainless steel pot with the dye.Bring to 
boil and simmer for about 30-40 minutes,stirring gently with a wooden spoon 
or paddle to make sure the dye covers evenly.Some people leave the fabric in 
the dye overnight without boiling it.Remove the fabric from the water with 
tongs.Rinse it in cold water and hang it to dry it out in the sun. 
   
 

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EXPERIMENT. 
AIM: ​To dye wool and cotton clothes with turmeric and malachite green. 
REQUIREMENTS:​500ml beaker,tripod,stand,wire gauze,wool cloth,sodium 
carbonate,turmeric and malachite dye. 
PROCEDURE:  
1. Take about 0.5gm of solid sodium carbonate and dissolve it in 250ml of 
water. 
2. Take about 0.1gm of malachite green dye and add it to 400ml water.On 
warming a clear solution of dye results. 
3. Take about 2gm of turmeric powder and add 400ml of 
water and on warming, a yellow solution is obtained which is further used for 
dyeing. 
4. Take about 200 ml of dye solution and in it dip the cloth to be dyed. 
5. Boil the solution for 2 minutes. 
6. After that remove the cloth and wash it with hot water 3-4 times,squeeze 
and keep it for drying. 
7. Take another piece of cotton cloth and put it directly into boiling solution 
of the dye. Keep it dipped for 2 min. Remove the cloth and wash with water 
and squeeze and keep it for drying. 
8. Similarly dye the cloth with turmeric solution and keep it for drying. 
9. Compare the colour of the wool cloth with that dyed directly. 
OBSERVATION: 
1. The colour of the wool cloth dyed directly by dipping in hot solution of 
malachite green dye is fast. 
2. The colour of the cloth dipped in the turmeric solution becomes permanent 
yellow and is dyed. 
   

 
 
  
APPLICATION OF NATURAL DYES 
ON TEXTILE. 
Natural dyes are mostly employed for dyeing of natural fiber textiles to 
enhance their eco friendly characteristics. They are usually applied to textiles 
by dyeing. Apart from indigo,other natural dyes are usually not used for 
printing directly. For producing printed fabrics,the printing is usually done with 
mordant and the whole material is dyed whereby only the area printed with 
mordant's picks up the colour. 
Natural dyes,like synthetic dyes,can also be used to dye textiles at all stages 
such as fiber,yarn or fabric.Fiber dyeing has the advantage that any shade 
variation can be easily adjusted by blending and therefore has been practiced 
at industrial scale also.Wool is generally dyed in yarn dyeing for all materials 
as it offers versatility in designing during weaving. 
Dyeing in hank form is preferred by traditional dyers operating at the cottage 
level due to its simplicity and low investment and also its compatibility with 
their usage of crude dye-bearing natural resources for reasons of authenticity 
as well as cost effectiveness. 
Dyeing is normally carried out by these artisans by hand in large vessel.Iron, 
stainless steel,copper and aluminium vessels are used. Dyeing in copper vessels 
is considered to produced bright shades.Aluminium vessels are normally stained 
with a particular dye hence should be used if only one type of dye is used. 
Stainless steel vessels are most preferred for the natural dyeing process. On 
a large scale,hank-dyeing machines have been successfully used.Fine purified 
products or concentrates are needed for package dyeing as otherwise dyeing is 
uneven.Fabric dyeing is also carried out in metal vessel at the cottage 
level.Machines such as the Jigger and Winch have been employed for dyeing 
larger lots.Suitable dyes or dye-bearing resources are selected based on the 
colour requirement.Flowers and leaves containing flavonoids are used to 
produce yellow colour shades. 
If purified natural dyes are used,these can be directly used for during.The 
process for the dyeing of textiles with natural dyes differs from the synthetic 
dye application process because only some natural dyes can be applied directly 
to textiles.In most of the cases the dye is not substantive to the fiber on 
which it is being dyed therefore an additional step of mordanting is involved. 
   

 
 
 
ADVANTAGES. 
Natural dyes are considered to be eco-friendly as these are obtained from 
renewable resources.These are biodegradable and the residual vegetal matter 
left after extraction of dyes can be easily compressed and used as 
fertilizer.They produce soft clothes soothing to the eye which are in harmony 
with nature. 
In addition to these environmental benefits,natural dyes also offer functional 
benefits to the wearer and users of such textiles.Many of the natural dyes 
absorb in the ultraviolet region and therefore fabrics dyed with such dyes 
should offer good protection from ultraviolet light.Fabrics dyed with some 
natural dyes have been reported by the wearers to be free of odour perhaps 
due to the antibacterial or bacteriostatic properties of natural dye materials. 
   

 
 
 
 
  
DRAWBACKS 
# Dependence on chemicals :-There is still a reliance on chemicals for bonding 
the colour to the fabric. 
# Ecological aspects :-Just as the dye is natural that does no guarantee that 
if it is also environmentally stable. 
# Effluents :-Some of the effluents from the processes using natural dyes 
can be harmful as the ones of the synthetic dyes. 
# Inherent weakness :-Some uncomfortable questions regarding 
permanency,application methods and colour fastness. 
# Need for huge amount of water :-Huge amount of water is wasted.Typically 
the dye material is put in a pot of water and then the textiles to be dyed are 
added to the pot,which is heated and stirred until the colour is transferred. 
   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 FUTURE PROSPECTS AND 
CONCLUSION. 
Presently an approximately 1% share of textiles is only being dyed with 
natural dyes mostly in the cottage sector by traditional artisans,enthusiasts 
and small entrepreneurs. Selling of natural dye-bearing materials and their 
purified extracts is,however,being done at a small industry level. 
The tedious application process and non-reproducibility of shades and 
insufficient availability are some of the factors responsible for their 
non-adoption in mainstream textile processing.However, at the present level of 
dye resource availability, their adoption by the textile industry is not 
desirable also as that would result in an environmental disaster by way of loss 
of biodiversity and depletion of forest cover in spite of the tremendous 
environmental advantage offered by them in terms of the lower pollution of 
the effluent if used properly.This advantage can be utilised by the traditional 
artisans in preserving their surrounding from the ill effects of pollution caused 
by synthetic dyes as they do not have access to expensive effluent treatment 
plants needed for synthetic dyes.A clean production model offered by natural 
dyes is a better alternative for them. 
The benefits of research on the development of improved application 
compliance should reach and the consumers also get the benefit of truly 
environment friendly textiles. 
The availability of natural dyes needs to be increased in a sustainable manner 
by utilizing the by-products and wastes from agriculture and agro processing 
industries and judicious collection of forest procedure.This may be 
supplemented by growing important dye-bearing plants on wastelands and 
marginal lands thus providing an alternative cas crop to 
cultivators.Establishment of proper characterization and certification protocols 
for natural dyes would definitely improve consumer confidence in natural dyed 
textiles and would benefit both producers and users.If natural dye availability 
can be increased by the above-described measures and the cost of purified 
dyes can be brought down with a proper certification mechanism, there is a 
huge scope for adoption of these dyes by small-scale dyeing units as they lack 
the resources to install and operate expensive effluent treatment plants 
needed to bring the synthetic dye effluent within the limits set by regulatory 
authorities. 
At the level where scientific development stand today,natural dyes are a 
sustainable option only for small-scale application. 
 
   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
1. www.scribd.com 
2. www.fabricnaturaldyes.com 
3. www.yahooanswers.com 
4. Chemistry lab manual class 12