Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

Latent pigments activated by heat

Nature volume 388, pages 131–132 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Organic pigments are used as colourants in paints, plastics, printing inks1 and in the electronics industries2. They can be distinguished from dyes in that they are insoluble. Whereas dyes readily dissolve to give homogeneous coloration, the application of organic pigments frequently requires a time- and energy-consuming dispersion step. Here we report a method for converting a pigment into a suitable precursor, a ‘latent’ pigment. Like a dye, the latent pigment is readily soluble or homogeneously dispersible in the application medium, and on subsequent thermal treatment it can be transformed in situ to the parent pigment.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Schematic illustration of the hydrogen-bonding network of DPP.
Figure 2: a, Weight loss of N, N' -bis-( t -butoxycarbonyl)-DPP as a function of temperature (rate, 10 °C min−1; onset, 163.6 °C; midpoint, 177.7 °C; end point 191.8 °C; step height, 40.7%).

References

  1. Herbst, W. & Hunger, K. Industrial Organic Pigments (VCH, Weinheim, 1993).

  2. Gregory, P. High-Technology Applications of Organic Colorants (Plenum, New York, 1991).

  3. Iqbal, A. et al. Bull. Soc. Chim. Belg. 97, 615–643 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mizuguchi, J. & Rihs, G. Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chem. 96, 597–606 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Zambounis, J. S., Hao, Z. & Iqbal, A. US Patent No. 5,484,943 (1996).

  6. Rawal, V. H. & Cava, M. P. Tetrahedr. Lett. 26, 6141–6142 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Grehn, L. & Ragnarsson, U. Angew. Chem. Int. Edn Engl. 23, 296–301 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schädeli, U., Zambounis, J. S., Hao, Z., Iqbal, A. & Dubas, H. European Patent Application No. 0 654 711 A1 (1996).

  9. Hao, Z., Zambounis, J. S. & Iqbal, A. US Patent No. 5,561,232 (1996).

  10. Lehn, J.-M. Angew. Chem. Int. Edn Engl. 29, 1304–1319 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pigments Division, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc., Basel, CH-4002, Switzerland

    J. S. Zambounis, Z. Hao & A. Iqbal

Authors
  1. J. S. Zambounis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Z. Hao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Iqbal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zambounis, J., Hao, Z. & Iqbal, A. Latent pigments activated by heat. Nature 388, 131–132 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/40532

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/40532

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing