5 ms·

Is it still true that there are no real inorganic red dyes? Or is that ancient history?

• s0rce 7y ago
  Cinnabar is red...
• gimmeThaBeet 7y ago
  It may depend on the definition of red, but that doesn't sound true at all. Cadmium red, lead tetroxide, cinnabar, all in use for a hundred+ to even thousands of years. I think where that comes from is that there isn't really an inorganic red that is all of stable, durable, non-toxic, and only then even then good looking. If I remember correctly, once Mas Subramanian sort of stumbled into "I guess I can try to make pigments with these compounds" he's tried making other colors, but sort of the big prize is in finding a good red with properties similar to YInMn.
  • creeble 7y ago
    >>stable, durable, non-toxic, and only then even then good looking. Yes, I think that was the combination. I was thinking in particular red car paint -- it was only organic compounds through the early 2000's, and therefore all of it fades.
  • a1369209993 7y ago
    > It may depend on the definition of red, [...] Cadmium red, lead tetroxide, cinnabar For that matter, iron oxide (rust) technically qualifies.