Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor - Permanent Green, 15 ml Tube

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PG7-Phthalo Green

PBr25-Benzimidazolone Brown

PY3-Hansa Yellow 10G

Pigment Name

PG7-Phthalo Green

Pigment Type

organic

Chemical Name

polychlorinated copper(II) phthalocyanine

Chemical Formula

C32H3Cl13CuN8 to C32HCl15CuN8 or C32H16CuN8Cl15 (PG7) or C32Br6Cl10CuN8 (PG36)

Properties

Phthalo Green is a transparent, cool, bright, high intensity color used in oil and acrylics. It comes from a Phthalocyanine Blue pigment where most of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced with chlorine, forming highly stable molecules.  It has similar pigment properties and permanence to Phthalo Blue. It is slow drying and an excellent base color for mixing a range of bright greens. Phthalo Green is considered a very good alternative to Viridian because it is intense and mixes well and can be used to emphasize mineral colors in various tints. However, its tinting strength is very high, so it can overpower other colors.  This pigment most closely resembles the discontinued and toxic Verdigris.

Permanence

Phthalo Greens are completely lightfast and resistant to alkali, acids, solvents, heat, and ultraviolet radiation. They are currently used in inks, coatings, and many plastics due to their stability and are considered a standard pigment in printing ink and the packaging industry.

Toxicity

Phthalo Green has no significant hazards, but it contained PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) until 1982.

History

This bright blue-green was developed in 1935 and has been in use since 1938.

Pigment Name

PBr25-Benzimidazolone Brown

Pigment Type

organic, monoazo benzimidazolone

Chemical Formula

Properties

Benzimidazolone Brown is a transparent brown pigment that is heavily staining and dark valued but has moderately low tinting strength. According to its manufacturer Clariant, “It is a dark brown, very transparent benzimidazolone pigment with excellent light, weather, and solvent fastness properties plus high heat stability. Recommended for paste inks, solvent and water based packaging gravure, and flexographic printing inks.” Benzimidazolone Brown has been used in watercolor painting, where transparent brown colors have traditionally been mixed from other pigments.

Permanence

Benzimidazolone Brown has excellent lightfastness and weather resistance.

Toxicity

History

Benzimidazolone pigments were developed and patented by Hoechst in 1960, and have gradually come into use as artist pigments.

Pigment Name

PY3-Hansa Yellow 10G

Pigment Type

organic, monoazo

Chemical Formula

C16H12CL2N4O2

Properties

This Hansa yellow is a transparent yellow. It has great brightness and tinting strength and its drying time ranges from average to slow. Hansa Yellow makes more intense tints and cleaner secondaries than Cadmium Yellows, especially when mixed with other organic or modern colors like Phthalo Blue and Green. Because they are more transparent, they have great value as glazing colors.

Permanence

This Hansa Yellow has fair to good permanence, particularly in the lighter shades.

Toxicity

Hansa Yellow has no significant acute hazards, though its chronic hazards have not been well studied.

History

Hansa Yellows were first made in Germany just before WW1 from a series of synthetic dyestuffs called Pigment Yellow. They were intended to be a synthetic replacement for Cadmium Yellow.