Talk:Fixative

I disagree with the proposed split. There are general principles of chemistry shared by the various application branches. Despite the fact that this article presently fails to tackle the unifying principles, ultimately that content belongs here. I just stubbed the fixatives section into Cellular pathology from horrendously bad notes dropped into the main text by a neophyte nobody (first edit, anon IP).

You can already see some of the outlines of the broader conceptual categories: coagulents, protein denaturing agents, oxidising agents, etc. at least within the field of biochemistry.

It's possible that the main areas presently covered have no unifying context, but to me it all looks like variations on applied chemistry. MaxEnt 02:09, 8 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As it stands with the main categories of Drawing, Biology, Embalming, and Perfumery, I think it is a little confusing. Those topics seem to be all over the place and barely related to each other. Having a fixative (drawing), fixative (biology), etc would clarify that. Either that or this article needs to be restructured. Additionally, it is very difficult to stub-sort since those main topics are so different. Amalas =^_^= 16:59, 9 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Disagree with proposed split. What the article really needs is a better lead. (And a section on photography.) 67.130.129.135 (talk) 22:23, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Undetermined

Fixatives in all the disciplines mentioned: (photography?), histology, artwork, perfume seem to be preservatives. The article on histology is the longest, and as articles go, I think it's pretty short. At this point, I lean towards merjer, but I'm not doing the work. I can, but I won't. The topic isn't that important to me; it would be a last-ditch effort to save a natural sponge that is decomposing. K(HX)PO4+CaCl2 will work with more natural effect. Brewhaha@edmc.net 20:22, 3 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed merger of mordant here

Disagree. We need a longer article specifically on mordants used in dyeing textiles; perhaps what is currently there could be moved to a disambiguation page and the article on dyeing could live at mordant? - PKM 19:46, 6 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Disagree. Me too - you can mention and link-to fixative, but the textile definition has a different flavour to the chemical one. [MJB] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.80.86.34 (talk) 19:26, 4 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Disagree. Mordants and fixatives are completely different in structure, function, and application. There is no justification for merging their entries. A dye mordant is typically either a metal ion or tannic acid; it functions by bonding directly to the fiber in the fabric, after which the dye can bond to the mordant. In mordant dyeing, the dye itself is not attached to the fiber, only to the mordant. Mordanting works best when the mordant is applied to the fiber before the dye, in a separate step. In contrast, cationic dye fixatives, such as those heavily used in the textile industry today, are used on dyes which have already attached to the fiber. Most dyes, including direct dyes, acid dyes, and reactive dyes, are negatively charged molecules. Cationic dye fixatives are large posiitively charged molecules and are attracted by dye particles. If a dye, usually a direct dye, is only loosely attached to the fiber, a cationic dye fixative is applied in order to effectively increase the size of the dye particles. The enlarged particles, consisting of dye plus fixative, are more firmly lodged in the fiber and therefore wash out less quickly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Phthalocyanine (talk • contribs) 15:25, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]