Editing Lake pigment (section)

==Chemistry==
[[File:Lithol rubine BK.svg|thumb|upright|alt=Molecular diagram; refer to image caption|A typical lake pigment: [[Lithol Rubine BK]].]]

Many lake pigments are [[azo dye]]s. They characteristically have [[sulfonate]] and sometimes [[carboxylate]] substituents, which confer negative charge to the [[chromophore]] (colored species).

The metallic salts or binders used are typically colourless or almost so.<ref name=Ullmann1 /> The organic component of the dye determines the color of the resulting [[precipitate]].  The metallic salts that induce the formation of lakes are typically salts of dications such as [[calcium|Ca<sup>2+</sup>]] or [[strontium|Sr<sup>2+</sup>]].<ref name=Ullmann1/>  The resulting lake pigment can be diluted with an inert material such as [[alumina]].