ISSN 4391-3199
African Journal of Chemistry ISSN: 4391-3199 Vol. 3 (3), pp. 182-187, March, 2016. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
A study on the response of natural dye to Gamma radiation as a dosimeter
Nusrat G. Akram, Wasim Afridi Bhutto* and Imran Nawaz Sharif
Department of Physics, G.C. University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted 30 February, 2016
Abstract
Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) contains a pigment called anthocyanine which changes color over different pH ranges. We examined spectrophotometrically the effects of gamma irradiation on aqueous solutions of red cabbage dye to facilitate industrial applications. Samples were exposed to Cs-137 γ source from 0-100 kGy. Irradiation greater than 60 kGy clearly affected the major colorant in extracts of red cabbage leaves. Dosimetric characterization on basis of dye concentration and pH values was also described which showed that these dye solutions can satisfactorily be used as dye dosimeters in gamma dose range of 60-100 kGy.
Key words: Aqueous solutions, red cabbage dye, gamma irradiation, optical density (OD), decolouration.