Abstract
SORBY1 first described the pink pigment extractable from human red hair by hot acids, and its properties were further investigated by Flesch and Rothman2. In strongly acid solutions, the absorption curve shows a hump above 475 mµ with a maximum at 535 mµ (Fig. 1, curve 4), but this disappears at alkaline pH. Complete extraction of trichosiderin does not appreciably change the hair colour, and the contribution of this substance to the total pigmentation is uncertain.
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References
Sorby, H. C., J. Anthrop. Inst., 8, 1 (1878).
Flesch, Peter, and Rothman, Stephen, J. Invest. Dermat., 6, 257 (1945).
Smyth, J. R., Porter, J. W., and Bohren, B. B., Physiol. Zool., 24, 205 (1951).
Serra, J. A., Nature, 157, 771 (1946).
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BARNICOT, N. The Pigment, Trichosiderin, from Human Red Hair. Nature 177, 528–529 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/177528a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/177528a0
