Understanding Organic Pigments like FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake

You asked about the composition of "organic pigment," specifically in the context of FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake, and what it's made from.

In chemistry, the term "organic" refers to compounds that are based on carbon atoms. Organic pigments are synthetic colorants derived from carbon-based chemical compounds. This is different from "organic" in the marketing sense, which often refers to natural sources grown without synthetic chemicals.

In contrast, inorganic pigments are typically derived from minerals or mineral salts.

FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake, also known by its color index name CI 19140, is an example of an organic pigment. It is a synthetic chemical compound. The "Lake" part of the name indicates that the water-soluble dye (Tartrazine in this case) has been adsorbed onto an insoluble substrate, often aluminum hydroxide, to make it insoluble and suitable for use as a pigment in products like makeup.

While chemical analysis (like a Certificate of Analysis) confirms the purity and specific composition of the final pigment product (e.g., the percentage of the dye component), it typically does not detail the specific raw materials or the step-by-step chemical synthesis process used to create the pigment compound itself. This level of detail is usually proprietary manufacturing information.

Therefore, while we know that organic pigments are carbon-based synthetic compounds and FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake (CI 19140) is a specific example, the exact raw materials used in its chemical synthesis are not generally disclosed in product documentation.