Trichotomine
Blue organic pigment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trichotomine is a bright blue pigment found in the berries of the plant Clerodendrum trichotomum, which is native to China and Japan. It has a novel chromophore structure which differs from previously studied plant pigments.[1] The amount of pigment in the berries increases as they become ripe.[2]
| |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
(2E,5S)-2-[(5S)-5-carboxy-3-oxo-6,11-dihydro-5H-indolizino[8,7-b]indol-2-ylidene]-3-oxo-6,11-dihydro-5H-indolizino[8,7-b]indole-5-carboxylic acid | |
| Identifiers | |
| |
3D model (JSmol) |
|
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
|
| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
|
| |
| |
| Properties | |
| C30H20N4O6 | |
| Molar mass | 532.512 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
| |
History and usage
The berries of C. trichotomum have historically been used in natural dyes. In 1978, a team of researchers at Nagoya University proposed that trichotomine was the pigment responsible for the color.[1][3] This was confirmed in 1992.[4]
Amid growing concern about the impacts of consuming artificial food colorants, scientists have studied trichotomine as a potential plant-based alternative to produce blue food dye. It is of interest partly because blue pigment is so rare in nature, so the number of viable options for pass production are significantly more limited than a more common pigment, like red. San-Ei Gen, a Japanese colorant manufacturer, has produced an extract of the pigment and used it for testing purposes. They found that trichotomine is not acutely poisonous to mice.[3]