Abstract To enrich students' experience in the application of complex in life, an interesting chemistry experiment was designed. Using different metal salts as mordants, natural colorants were extracted from madder, mulberry and Gynura bicolor to dye cotton fabric,and the dyeing effect and color stability were compared. The experimental results showed that metal ions form complexes with colorants and cellulose, which could improve the dyeing fastness. The experimental phenomenon had been explained by the theory of complex structure. Experiments had found that cotton fabrics dyed with mulberries and Gynura bicolor had severe color fading after washing, and the color of mulberries dyed fabrics was greatly affected by the pH of the environment, making them prone to discoloration. Therefore, both were not suitable as experimental materials. The reagent used in this interesting experiment was cheap, easy to operate, and could provide an experimental case for the teaching of complex.
ZENG Yu, HUANG Ping, WANG Xiao-Xia, RAN Ming. Development of Interesting Experiments in Coordination Chemistry: Cotton Cloth Dyeing[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2025, 46(3): 71-75.
