Ink — sepia, cuttlefish — is a marine-mineral note rarely used in fine perfumery, central to PREMIEREPEAU's Albâtre Sépia alongside Italian white truffle and tonka bean.
Gall nuts are a source of tannin in the production of iron gall ink. Tannins belong to a group of molecules known as polyphenols and can be taken from different parts of plants such as leaves, pods, fruits, and gall nuts. An oak apple or oak gall is a large, round, vaguely apple-like gall commonly found on many species of oak. Oak apples are caused by chemicals injected by the larva of certain kinds of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. The adult female wasp lays single eggs in developing leaf buds, and the larvae feed on the gall tissue that results. Oak apples range from 2 to 4 centimetres in diameter. Quercus infectoria, the Aleppo oak, is a species of oak that produces galls, which have been used for centuries in Asia as medicine and for softening leather. Its galls are used in making black dye and ink. The galls of Quercus infectoria contain approximately 50-70% tannin, with 2-4% each of gallic and ellagic acid. Tannic acid obtained from these galls is called Aleppo tannin, and some inks use it.
Mixing tannin with iron sulfate forms a water-soluble ferrous tannate complex. In air this converts to a ferric tannate, a darker pigment that is not water-soluble. The darkening is due to the oxidation of iron ions from ferrous to ferric by atmospheric oxygen. Iron gall ink is acidic, and it may eventually eat holes through the surface it was on. Marks made with it could not be erased by rubbing or washing; they could only be erased by scraping a thin layer off the writing surface. Modern iron gall inks are still used in fountain pens where permanence is required. Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. Its name is derived from oak galls, which were historically used to prepare tannic acid.
The reaction between the tannins of the gall nut and the iron produces a complex that gives the ink its colour, and the gum arabic thickens the ink and helps it bind to the writing surface. A well-prepared ink darkened gradually to an intense purplish black. Because the ink is soluble, it penetrates the paper surface, which makes it difficult to erase. The ferric ions go on to react with tannic acid or a compound derived from it, possibly gallic acid or pyrogallol, to form a polymeric metal-organic compound. The liquid ink has to be kept in a well-stoppered bottle, since atmospheric oxygen darkens it, and it often becomes unusable after a time. On papers with relatively high residues of bleaching agent, the darkening progresses more quickly and visibly. Depending on the writing surface, the ink can leave unsightly ghost writing on the obverse face of the writing surface. The holes it may eat through the surface form faster at high temperature and humidity. Some manuscripts written with the ink, such as the Book of Magical Charms, have survived hundreds of years without damage to the paper.
A United States government standard ink formula of 1935 gives, for 1000 cm³ of distilled water, 11.7 g of tannic acid, 3.8 g of gallic acid and 15 g of iron(II) sulfate, with hydrochloric acid to prevent sediment, phenol as a preservative and a water-soluble china-blue aniline dye. In India, IS 220 (1988) prescribes the requirements and test methods for ferro-gallo tannate fountain pen inks containing not less than 0.1 percent of iron.
Carbon inks were commonly made from lampblack or soot and a binding agent such as gum arabic or animal glue. Carbon particles do not fade over time even when bleached or when in sunlight. Carbon ink does not harm paper. Inksticks are made mainly of soot and animal glue, sometimes with incense or medicinal scents added. Soot for inksticks is produced by hypoxic burning of oils such as tung oil, or from wood such as pine. Deer musk was among the ingredients added to inksticks. Soybean oil, tea seed oil and lard are also burned to make soot, and egg white, fish skin or ox hide glue binds the stick. Oil soot ink contains more glue than the other kinds, spreads less and gives a warm black. Pine soot ink has less glue, spreads more and gives a blueish black. Charcoal ink has the least glue and spreads on paper more than the other inks. A good inkstick is said to be as hard as stone, with a texture like a rhino, and black like lacquer. Together with the inkstone, the ink brush and paper, the inkstick counts as one of the Four Treasures of the Study of classical Chinese literary culture.
Ink formulas vary, but most combine a colorant with a vehicle that acts as a binder. Pigments are solid opaque particles held in suspension in the ink, where they give it its colour. Pigment inks are used more often than dyes because they are more colour-fast, but they are more expensive, less consistent in colour and have a narrower colour range. Inks generally fall into four classes: aqueous, liquid, paste and powder. Ink raises three main environmental issues: heavy metals, non-renewable oils and volatile organic compounds.
Ink functions as a heart modifier in intellectual, literary, and dark-minimalist compositions. The note appears in PREMIEREPEAU's Albatre Sepia, where its iron-tannic darkness underpins the white truffle and sepia accord — evoking a handwritten letter sealed in alabaster, stained with time.
This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
