In Latin, the etymological origin of the word "pigment" is found. Specifically, it comes from the term "pigmentum", which can be translated as "substance that gives color" and is composed of two clearly defined parts:
-The verb "pingere", which is synonymous with "paint."
-The suffix "-mento", which is equivalent to "result".
Pigment is the substance used to color a painting , a varnish , a enamel , etc. Its action is produced by modifying the color of the reflected luminosity, since it partially absorbs said hue and radiates another.
Thanks to the pigments, it is possible confer a certain color to food, clothing and cosmetic products, for example. Powder pigments are usually used, which are added to some colorless or very faint tone material. There are pigments that act as permanent dyes and others that, with the passage of weather , stop staining the substance in question.
Although they are often used as synonyms, it is possible to establish differences between pigments and dyes . While these are liquid and allow to obtain a solution, the pigments are usually solids They create a suspension.
It should be noted that the pigments that arise from the action of the nature , As the iron oxide , were already used by prehistoric man. Over time, humanity began to develop pigments through industrial mechanisms.
Very important are the so-called plant pigments. These are the set of substances that exist in plants and that shape complex structures. Specifically, among the best known are chlorophyll, anthocyanins, flavonoids and carotene.
However, perhaps the best known is chlorophyll, which becomes a fundamental part of the so-called photosynthesis. And it is responsible for absorbing what is daylight to establish and fix what is the carbon dioxide in the air.
In the field of biology , it is known as pigment to the substance that provides the tonality to the cells. These pigments, which can dissolve or act as granules, define the tone of hair, eyes and skin, among other parts of the body . Among the most important biological pigments are the chlorophyll (which gives the characteristic green color to the plants) and the melanin .
Also, within the scope of biology, there is also what is known as respiratory pigment. This term defines the protein, conjugate type, which is dedicated to transporting oxygen in fluids that exist in the body such as, for example, blood. As a general rule, all animals have it. However, there are some who do not have it, as would be the case with certain fish that live in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and have the particularity of having totally transparent blood.
