Colorants: A New Journal Bringing Colour to Life

Colorant: A substance which is used to impart colour to another material!

Most of us have favourite colours that bring us pleasure, transform our moods and attitudes, and change our perceptions. Who can resist a rainbow on a sunny afternoon? Colour is what makes a painting unique and adds dimensionality to flat objects. Nature makes incredible use of colour, better than any artist, and has developed the trick of changing colour on demand. Colour is truly international, crossing the boundaries of languages, and features in cosmology by way of the red planet. Apart from refraction and reflection, colour is generated by the inclusion of some type of colorant, which could be molecular, oligomeric, particulate, or macroscopic. Such colorants have been prominent in human development. They have been considered precious commodities since the earliest days and, in many cases, have brought fortunes to merchants and communities. Some colorants, such as indigo, have revolutionized clothing, being instantly recognizable, and are still being researched today [1]. There are important differences between dyes and pigments [2], but the term “colorant” covers all such materials. The chemical composition of a colorant is a key tool in the battle against forgeries [3], while the in situ analysis of ancient colorants has fuelled the development of sophisticated spectroscopic tools [4]. The stability of colorants can vary dramatically, covering the time window from centuries to microseconds, and is an important research field in its own right.

The journal Colorants (ISSN: 2079-6447) [5] is a new, open access journal marketed by MDPI, which publishes full research papers, reviews, and communications. The mission is to publish high-quality research covering all aspects of the chemistry and physics associated with natural and synthetic colorants. Both experimental and theoretical studies devoted to synthesis, analysis, composition, and dispersion characteristics are appropriate for inclusion in the journal. Manuscripts dealing facets of colorant stability, reactivity, and transformation fall well within the scope of the journal. Aggregation is known to be an important aspect in controlling the properties of synthetic colorants and spectroscopic or kinetic studies aimed at monitoring the accretion of colorant entities will be considered. The application of new tools for the analysis of old colorants will be a feature of the journal and we hope to have regular submissions on this hugely popular subject. Submissions covering both basic and applied research are welcome. In addition, submissions devoted to the history, economics, and social impact of colorants are strongly encouraged.

Special Issues that highlight emerging areas of research will appear at frequent intervals, and suggestions for new topics should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. All manuscripts will be thoroughly peer-reviewed in a timely fashion, with a first decision within 15 days and acceptance to publication within 3 days (median values for MDPI journals in the first half of 2021). The publisher has appointed a strong Editorial Board, comprising outstanding researchers active in many disparate areas of colorant research, to advise and complement the Editorial Team. Colorants aims to become the journal for all research in the science of colour.