MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF YOMBO-FITTA - AN AFRICAN NATURAL HAIR DYE

Mineral contents of an African hair dye were investigated. Some physicochemical properties such as solubility, pH, ash and organic content were first carried out. Combinations of XRF, XRD, SEM, IR, and UV-VISIBLE spectroscopic techniques were employed in the investigation. The dye was found to dissolve in all the ten aqueous and non- aqueous media used. The pH of the aqueous solution was found to be 8.6. Ash and organic contents of the raw dye were found to be 51% and 49% respectively. The XRF revealed that the dye contains twenty elements which include K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Nb, Zr, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo and Br, with concentrations ranging from major to ultra-trace levels. The XRD also showed that the sample contains about forty six mineral phases which include both inorganic and organic components. The optical microscopic investigation gave indication that the dye was likely to be of the marine origin. The infrared (IR) measurements indicated that the sample contained functional groups such as C=O, C=C, C-C, C=N, aromatic ring and metal- carbon chelate rings. The UV-VIS spectra show that the dye absorbed in the visible region with Amax of the aqueous solution being 464.0 nm.