Abstract
Prussian blue, a hydrated iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II) complex, is a synthetic pigment discovered in Berlin in 1704. Because of both its highly intense color and its low cost, Prussian blue was widely used as a pigment in paintings until the 1970s. The early preparative methods were rapidly recognized as a contributory factor in the fading of the pigment, a fading already known by the mid-eighteenth century. Herein two typical eighteenth-century empirical recipes have been reproduced and the resulting pigment analyzed to better understand the reasons for this fading. X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated that the early syntheses lead to Prussian blue together with variable amounts of an undesirable iron(III) product. Pair distribution functional analysis confirmed the presence of nanocrystalline ferrihydrite, Fe10O14(OH)2, and also identified the presence of alumina hydrate, Al10O14(OH)2, with a particle size of ~15 Å. Paint layers prepared from these pigments subjected to accelerated light exposure showed a tendency to turn green, a tendency that was often reported in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century books. The presence of particles of hydrous iron(III) oxides was also observed in a genuine eighteenth-century Prussian blue sample obtained from a polychrome sculpture.
Recommended Citation
L. Samain et al., "Synthesis and Fading of Eighteenth-century Prussian Blue Pigments: A Combined Study by Spectroscopic and Diffractive Techniques Using Laboratory and Synchrotron Radiation Sources," Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 460 - 473, International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), May 2013.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1107/S0909049513004585
Department(s)
Chemistry
Keywords and Phrases
Alumina; Archaeometry; Chemistry; Colorimetry; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure; Equipment Failure Analysis; Ferric Ferrocyanide; Ferrocyanide; Hexacyanoferrates; Hydrates; Hydration; Iron(III) Hexacyanoferrate(II); Light Exposure; Light Exposure Fading; Materials Testing; Paint Layers; Pair Distribution Function; Spectrometry; Synchrotron; X Ray Diffraction; X-Ray Emission
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0909-0495
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2013 International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 May 2013