Ultramarine blue is the inorganic pigment resultant from the logically occurring mineral, known as lapis lazuli. The mineral stone itself could be polished and made use in a variety of ornamental applications. Possibly the most prominent of these is on the death facade of Tutankhamun. Fine quality lapis lazuli is originated at hardly any places in the globe with the finest occurring in Afghanistan. The procedure to haul out a pigment from the mineral was a costly and complex with ultramarine blue possessing more costly than gold. The usage of this vibrant color became a status mark and early usage is limited to spiritual paintings where Phthalo Blue Organic Pigments is seldom used as a sign of reverence.
In 18th century, the pigment from crossways the sea amplified in fame, however the price of the pigment was still a limiting aspect. For this cause, a competition was started in 1824 with an award of six thousand French Francs being provided for the first reasonably feasible, synthetic procedure for ultramarine blue. The opposition is masked in controversy, however the prize was honored to Jean-Baptiste Guimet and the majority of the sources now quote him as the inventor of the modern procedure for ultramarine blue.
The values utilized in Guimet’s procedure are still the foundation of the existing manufacturing development. The three major raw materials, sulphur, soda ash and clay are blended with a sinking agent and heated up to 800 degree centigrade in a furnace. The substance is then cooled and as the temperature falls below 500 degree centigrade, a small amount of oxygen is set up to the furnace that helps in providing the brightness and red shade of commercially existing ultramarine. The raw objects are then taken into a wet procedure of cleaning, classifying and grinding into the intermediate powder that is then blended for meeting exact color specifications.