Complex chemistry about Mehindi

Lawsone is the phytochemical constituent of henna leaves, (and hence henna powder) that is responsible for creating the henna stain. The higher the lawsone content of the henna leaves, the deeper the resulting stain produced by the henna powder will be. On average the laswone content of ‘good quality’ henna powder is somewhere between 1% and 2%. The higher the temperatures where the henna is cultivated is directly proportionate to the Lawsone content of the leaves. The higher the temperature, the higher the lawsone content percentage. This is why it is probably no surprise that the best quality henna powders come from some of the hottest regions of the world.
Chemical Formula: C10H6O3Molecular Weight: 174.153g/molCAS Number: 83-72-7EINECS Number: 201-496-3
Substance Name(s):
Lawsone
2-Hydroxy-1,4-napthoquinone
2-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthalenedione
For research purposes it is always worth including as many names and synonyms as possible. Although for the most part henna, lawsonia inermis and lawsone are used in key documentation; there are many older documents that reference the other substance names and/or synonyms. You may also want to research the many common names for henna too.Substance Synonyms:
C.I. 75480
C.I. Natural Orange 6
2-hydroxynapthoquinone
henna
Lawsone, sodium salt
lawsonin
NQ-2-OH
Sodium Lawsonate