Color Primaries

[YT2095]

This morning I`ve just perfected Red

 

I`ve been experimenting with simple Acid/Metal combinations seeking the most Vivid of all the basic color primaries.

 

Red: Cobalt metal + Nitric acid

Green: Nickel metal + Nitric acid

Blue: Copper metal + Nitric acid

(interestingly these are all side by side in the periodic table too)

 

the depth of colors to these salts is amazing! but the only problem is these are all for Addative color synthesis, for Subtractive color synthesis I need a Yellow.

 

thus far I`ve come up with nothing at all convincing.

 

any ideas?

[woelen]

The best yellow is from cerium metal in the +4 oxidation state. Very pure and intense almost monochromatic yellow.

 

Another good yellow is made by vanadium in the +5 oxidation state at suitably adjusted pH. But this one is very sensitive on pH. Have a look on my website, I did a lot of experimenting with this.

 

Yet another good one may be the tetrachloroferrate (III) complex, made by dissolving any iron (III) salt and adding excess chloride and some acid. Dissolving such a salt in HCl of medium concentration also is OK.

 

http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/solutions/ce.html

http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/solutions/v.html

http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/solutions/fe.html

[YT2095]

Hmmm... just had a quick look through them and the Cerium looks to the closest that I`m after, but I somehow dount it would remain like that as a solid crystal.

I do have a chunk of Monazite (Cerium/Thorium) coming my way anyday now, so may try experiments with this as I process it for my Element collection.

 

my idea is to keep things as simple as possible though, 1 metal, one acid.

Lead Chromate is nice for yellow but it`s far too complex (and opaque) for what I`m after.

 

the Cerium Does look promising though

[jdurg]

PbI is a beautiful canary yellow color as a solid precipitate, but alas it is not soluble in water so you cannot have a solution of it. (Besides, I believe it would be colorless in solution).

[Gilded]

Potassium chromate is surprisingly yellow too... :|