THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS, May 25, 1860, p.39
THE following results were obtained upon a cotton fabric printed with albumen and steamed, in order to coagulate the albumen:--
In the albumenised parts the cotton receives certain dyes, winch wool and silk do not. Picric acid tinges it yellow fuchsine tints it red, &c.
This property of albumen has been known and applied for a long time in calico-printing. I have observed certain facts which reveal new tinctorial properties in albumen, which will doubtless, be turned to account in the industrial arts.
A fabric printed with albumen is soon moistened in pure water but the water penetrates the albumenised parts very slowly.
If a liquid, insoluble in water, be added to the water and stirred briskly, this liquid will go only to the albumenised parts and tinge them, if it contains a suitable colouring matter For example, water and a fat oil holding alkanet in solution ; water and crude aniline (which tinges albumen brown), &c. Aqueous solution of iodine tinges albumen yellow. In contact with water holding starch in suspension, this yellow tint becomes green, then blue, and disappears entirely. The iodine leaves the albumen and goes to the starch, and the blue becomes imperceptible in the mass.
Neutral chromate of potassa gives no tinge to albumen but the bichromate, or a diluted solution of chromic acid, tinges it yellow.
Albumen also assumes a vivid citron yellow colour 111 a solution of acetate of lead red in a strong solution of nitrate of silver: black in a bath of logwood.
Permanganate of potassa tinges albumen brown, without tin tingeing the non -albumenised parts.
Albumen is tinged pale yellow--brown in a boiling solution of a salt of the peroxide of iron Prepared in this manner, it assumes a blue colour with ferrid-cyanide of potassium; violet with decoction of madder; black with logwood. &c.
In a solution of sulphate of copper, albumen acquires no but it is coloured blue in a solution of ammoniacal sulphate of copper. By the action of alkalis. this blue tint becomes a very brilliant violet--lilac. With ferrid-cyanide of potassium, the marron-red tint of ferrid--cyanide of copper is obtained. Ammoniacal solution of cobalt also tinges albumen
The salts of gold, platinum, and palladium also tinge albumen yellow without attacking the non -albumenised tissue. Albumen tinged with chloride of gold becomes of a deep violet, almost black with protochloride of tin or protosulphate of iron. Albumen tinged with chloride of platinum is coloured a vivid yellow--brown with protochloride of tin.
Finally, as might have been expected, albumen printed upon cotton also fixes bichloride of mercury, and assumes the scarlet line of bin-iodide of mercury when treated with a very dilute solution of iodide of potassium