Synthesizing a Pigment: Egyptian Blue

Through the ages, discoveries in chemistry have expanded the artist’s palette with new colorants, while the demands of fashion and the arts have pushed scientists to search for new ways to create color. Chemistry of Color charts the relationship between chemistry and art over a period of more than 4,500 years by exploring a selection of natural and synthetic colorants used to create pigments and dyes that color our world.

[@hardkrome5050]

Here is the recipe if you are going to make it: 64% - Silica (flint) 15% - Calcium Oxide (Dolomite will work fine) 21% - Copper Oxide 950C It is one of a few pigments that are infrared fluorescent. Meaning it will absorb light in the visible spectrum and emit in the infrared spectrum. 400nm-700nm --> 800nm-916nm. It is also very infrared reflective.

[@Prchemist06]

Oh ,it is modern way to make it ,it is used cuz some silica left behind if we use the vidoe's method.

[@_atlantis219]

Did you tried to use some flux (which one and how many)? I'm testing this recipe but no fusion until now. (950ºC/10h)

[@jesscorbin5981]

@@_atlantis219 Have you ever made a NaSn alloy solid with high temps?

[@_atlantis219]

@@jesscorbin5981 No. To be honest that's my first experience with a high temperature reaction.

[@Xe_K]

please tell me what the % in your prescription means? Mass fractions or percentage of the total weight? Or stoichiometric indices?

[@Saamniferu]

wow! very similar to real ingredients and tempature the ingredients were sand, copper Mineral, and natron

[@RareCandeh]

That blue makes me feel sad ):

[@tapleyborucke511]

is there a way I could safely make a version of this in my own home?

[@Saamniferu]

Yes, Build a mud draft furnace that you can take down and burn it in that, Or a pizza oven could work

[@user-xo4jd4ot8s]

There are electric kilns for home pottery work.

[@paulbriggs3072]

Make enough for a tomb's paintings.

[@creekboie3277]

They real Egyptian blue glows

[@Adulto357]

What kind of kiln is that. It would ve nice to have a smaller kiln than my bigboy that drains energy.

[@FraterABYA]

Doesn't look like Egyptian blue, but good attempt.

[@dakranon]

Wish I could buy the stuff for less than $2000 a kilo :/

[@arpadczyliwampir]

you could make it yourself if you had access to a proper furnace

[@gavinjenkins899]

Looks like a gray grainy mess at the end... :/ not very Egyptian blue like, no offense. I think maybe because you're using tempera, and not showing it after it dried, when a lot of the yellow color fades out from the yolk? Because the water only paste just before the tempera looks sort of decent. Maybe make a watercolor instead since you already have gum arabic sitting around.