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Author: Subject: On the subject of iron carminate.
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[*] posted on 15-6-2012 at 18:38
On the subject of iron carminate.


Carminic acid is a valuable acid extracted from cochineals. Cochineals must be harvested by hand, making carminic acid, E120 and other derivatives some of the most expensive dyes on the market, averaging in the $130s per gram:o

As far as I know, E120 is made by precipitating aluminium or calcium carminates out of solution within a defined pH range by adding alum to a solution of carminic acid obtained by boiling the bodies of dried cochineals.

I was wondering what colour you'd get if you added a soluble iron salt to a solution of carminic acid. I can't find much info on the subject at all, perhaps because it's a ludicrous idea. Nonetheless, salts and complexes of transition metals tend to have interesting colours and I doubt that iron carminate is an exception.

Any thoughts?




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