The whole subject of organic dyes peaked my curiousity so I decided to look
some stuff up.  You may find this interesting: 

"In nature the snails use the secretion as part of their predatory behaviour
and as an antimicrobial lining on egg masses.[7][8] The snail also secretes
this substance when it is poked or physically attacked by humans. Therefore
the dye can be collected either by "milking" the snails, which is more
labour intensive but is a renewable resource, or by collecting and then
crushing the snails completely, which is destructive. David Jacoby
remarks[9] that "twelve thousand snails of Murex brandaris yield no more
than 1.4 g of pure dye, enough to colour only the trim of a single garment."

Recent research in organic electronics has shown that Tyrian Purple is an
ambipolar organic semiconductor. Transistors and circuits based on this
material can be produced from sublimed thin-films of the dye. The good
semiconducting properties of the dye originate from strong intermolecular
hydrogen bonding that reinforces Pi stacking necessary for transport."  
Wikipedia, Tyrian purples article.

Bev

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brian Ellis
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 7:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] NTC Friday Element Quiz - the Answer

HI!

Just before lunch, I heard a chugging. Looking out the window, lo and 
behold, two John Deeres were struggling up the hill towards us. I had 
prepared an avgolimoni (egg and lemon in a chicken broth) soup which 
Kloumpios knocked back with much smacking of lips. Clumpy was less keen 
on it, though, but he dunked soldiers into it.

I'm showing them the rudiments of video editing in the hopes that they 
will pre-edit out the worst part of 100-odd video cassettes I've 
accumulated over the years. I've just finished editing three videos I 
made of visits of the UNEP committee I sat on to Tijuana, Seattle and 
Switzerland in 1991! Perhaps I cheated a little this week, because this 
committee worked for the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, so I was 
aware of the problems caused by organobromine compounds, notably methyl 
bromide that was the fumigant that Dave alluded to. Notwithstanding, 
although I knew the dye for royal purple was derived from sea snails, I 
did not know it contained bromine.

Brian

PS why supposedly retired?



On 18/02/2012 01:54, David D. Hillman wrote:
> Hi folks - Here is the Friday Element Quiz Answer:
>
> The Question:
>
> This element is very toxic and its vapors attack the eyes and lungs. This
> element is the basis for an effective fumigant that was widely used
> starting in the 1950s but was phased out of industrial use as part of the
> Montreal Protocol. This element is associated with the Roman emperors.
> What element is being described?
>
> The Answer:
>
> The element is Bromine (Br)! Bromine vapors are very toxic as little as
> 100 milligrams is a fatal dose. Methyl Bromide was the fumigant that was
> eliminated by the Montreal Protocol because it damaging effects on the
> ozone. As a fumigant, it was very effective as it penetrated areas that
> other pesticides could not reach and killed pests in all of their life
> cycles. The purple togas worn by Roman emperors were produced by a
> naturally occurring dye that contained bromine atoms. The color was called
> Tyrian purple and was the unrivaled until 1856 when English chemist
> William Perkins discovered violet dye mauve.
>
>
> The winner of the weekly element quiz is Brian Ellis, supposed retired,
> and he will get the services of Clumpy and Kloumpios for the week. Lots of
> great guesses this week!  The boys jumped on a cargo plane and should be
> getting to Brian's house sometime on Saturday.
>
> So far Clumpy and Kloumpios have:
>
> Week 1 Lamar Young, SCS Coatings
> - accomplished nothing (drank lots of coffee)
>
> Week 2 Bev Christian, RIM
> - conducted REACH material testing
>
> Week 3 Drew Meyer, Benchmark Electronics Inc.
> - Solderability testing and mowed the lawn
>
> Week 4 Ian Fox, Goodrich
> - had an epic journey of travel
>
> Week 4 Gary Ferrari, Garrick Global
> - unknown
>
> Week 5 Fredrick Miller, Astrolab
> - unknown
>
> Week 6 David Nelson, Raytheon
> - Were tackling dummys for Dallas Cowboys
>
> Week 7 Graham Collins, L3 Communications
> - Cleaned gutters and painted window trim
>
> Week 8 Bill Noel, ITT Geospatial Systems Division
> - unknown
>
> Week 9 Steve Gregory of RD Circuits
> - unknown
>
> Week 10 David Bealer of Watchfire Signs
> - descaled the in-line wash machine! Ouch!
>
> Week 11 Dick Krug of Sparton Corporation
> - assisted with AS9100 quality management systems requirements audit
>
> Week 12 Steve Creswick of Balanced Enterprise Solutions
> - Acted as Steve's "go fer" due to a broken leg!
>
> Week 13 Gebhard Neifer, Delphi
> - conducted a plasma pre treatment Taguchi DOE for a sealing process
>
> Week 14 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with a tin pest investigation/test
>
> Week 15 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted Bev shoveling snow
>
> Week 16 David Bealer of Watchfire Signs
> - assisted with reflow profiling
>
> Week 17 Brian Ellis, rumored to be retired
> - assisted with rewiring the house, had a tractor accident and found his
> cousin Kloumpios
>
> Week 18 Denny Fritz, SAIC
> - assisted with tin whisker inspection/examinations
>
> Week 19 Graham Collins, L3 Communications
> - assisted with scraping barnacles, boat paint and boat engine maintenance
>
> Week 20 Mark Woolley, PTRL Laboratory Avaya
> - assisted with weather observations (70F to snow) and resolving
> electrochemical migration failures
>
> Week 20 Tom Carroll, Boeing Defense, Space and Security
> - assisted with commercial aircraft galley inspection
>
> Week 21 Brian Ellis, supposedly retired, and Tom Carroll, Boeing Defense,
> Space and Security
> - assisted with root cause corrective action tasks
> - assisted with nothing but catching up with the family
>
> Week 22 Drew Meyer, Benchmark Electronics Inc.
> - assisted with metallographic cross-sections and Dye&  Pry testing
>
> Week 23 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with a creep corrosion project and the setting up of an oxygen
> bomb
>
> Week 24 Steve Gregory, RD Circuits
> - unknown
>
> Week 25 Ahne Oosterhof, A-Laser
> - assisted with stencil aperture data analysis and split/stacked firewood
>
> Week 26 Scott Post, Delphi
> - assisted/participated in the Kokomo Airshow Race Event
>
> Week 27 Brian Ellis, supposedly retired
> - assisted with tedious website work and family home cooking
>
> Week 28 Nigel Burtt
> - abandoned Nigel and were rumored to be involved in UK News Corps/News
> International cellphone/journalism/politics scandal
>
> Week 29 Richard Stadem,GD-AIS
> - unknown
>
> Week 30 Robert Wolfe, Kimchuk Inc and Graham Naisbitt, Gen3
> - assisted with a hot tub refurbishment for post work day de-stressing
> - assisted with SIR and Cleanliness testing
>
> Week 31 Bev Christian, RIM Inc, and Denny Fritz, SAIC
> - assisted with lab testing
> - assisted with tin whisker investigations
>
> Week 32 Steve Mikell, supposedly retired
> - attempted to provide both US Congress and EU lawmakers "engineered"
> solutions
>
> Week 33 Mark Woolley, PTRL Laboratory Avaya
> - unknown
>
> Week 34 Leland Woodall, CSTech Inc.
> - assisted with new model qualifications,updating supporting
> documentation, strain gaging, performing cross sections, verifying a new
> selective soldering process, and finally assisted with the development of
> a plant-wide countermeasure effectiveness auditing program (Wow, they had
> to work hard this week!)
>
> Week 35 Joe Russeau, Precision Analytical Laboratories
> - assisted with new equipment preparations
>
> Week 36 Patrick Goodyear, PGE
> - assisted with beach trash collection duty
>
> Week 37 Dave Elder, Tait Radio Communications
> - assisted Dave Hillman with a geography lesson, watch USA vs Irland in
> World Rugby Cup and went skiing.
>
> Week 38 Steve Mikell, supposedly retired
> - took the week off, and went to see some Tampa Bay Rays games
>
> Week 39 Andy Giamis, Commscope
> - assisted with metallographic cross-sectional analysis of die cast Mg and
> taught a group of Cub Scouts how to hotwire a tractor
>
> Week 40 Gebhard Neifer, Delphi
> - assisted with a customer audit
>
> Week 41 Ian Fox, Aero Engine Controls
> - assisted with pcb cross-section analysis
>
> Week 42 Andy Giamis, Commscope
> - Andy gave them the week off (BBQ and English ale party)
>
> Week 43: 4 winners
>             Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with testing of phthalates
>           Leland Woodall, CSTech Inc.
> - assisted with installing a new fuel pump on the tractor, mowing my yard
> and raking the leaves/pine needles.
>          Patrick Goodyear, PGE
> - assisted with relaxing on the beach following kelp removal efforts
>          Richard Stadem,GD-AIS
> - assisted with the qualification of a Radon-fueled Airvac PCBRM 5.2 with
> its new 50,000 watt pre-heater and Radon emitting laser reflow head
>
> Week 44 Patrick Goodyear, PGE
> - assisted with sifting sand at the beach looking for sand dollars
>
> Week 45 Dock Brown, Medtronic
> - assisted with the synthesizing a postmodern fusion of Firesign's
> Department of Redundancy Department with Sokol's boundary transgression
> quantum gravity paradigm shift
>
> Week 46 Dock Brown, Medtronic
> - assisted with ???
>          Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted RIM co-ops with research projects
>
> Week 47 Graham Collins, L3 Communications
> - assisted with counterfeit part inspection and snow plow duty
>
> Week 48 Mike Fenner, Indium
> - assisted with automotive repairs and for holiday relaxation
>
> Week 49 Reuven Rokah
> - assisted with patent investigations
>
> Week 50 Rex Waygood, Hansatech EMS
> - assisted with:
> Tuesday after H&S induction: Solve the EU financial crisis.
> Wednesday: Provide sufficient information to the TAC to get the EU to
> permit Pb in solders.
> Thursday: Win the lottery on my behalf using a single ticket. (I'm not
> greedy any win will do)
> Friday until departure: Enjoy the south of England countryside,
>
> Week 51 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with a hearty meal which will include Canadian bacon and maple
> syrup
> - played Settlers of Catan for a while.
> - investigate a cure for head on pillow?
> - create a halogen-free epoxy that isn't brittle?
> - cure tin whiskers
> - Perfect rework techniques for 0.50025s and 0.2 mm pitch 5000 pin BGAs.
>
> Week 52 Dock Brown, Medtronic
> - assisted with ????
>
> Week 53 Ian Fox, Aero Engine Controls
> - assisted with failure analysis assistance and removal of snow
>
> Week 54 Steve Mikell, supposedly retired
> - assisted with ????
>
>            Phil Anslow, MBDA Systems
> - assisted with in preparation of 3-5year strategy and cooking of
> Valentine's Day meal for my lovely wife - oh and me!
>
> Week 55 Brian Ellis, supposedly retired
> - assisted with ????
>
>
> Everyone have a safe week!
>
>
> Dave Hillman
> Rockwell Collins
> [log in to unmask]
>
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