Prussian blue

Also known as Berlin blue, Iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II), Ferric ferrocyanide, Parisian blue, Ferric hexacyanoferrate, Iron(III) ferrocyanide, Paris blue, Ferrocin

dark blue pigment

Chemical data

Formula: C18Fe7N18
Molecular weight: 859.2 g/mol
IUPAC name: tris(iron(2+));tetrakis(iron(3+));octadecacyanide
SMILES: [C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[C-]#N.[Fe+2].[Fe+2].[Fe+2].[Fe+3].[Fe+3].[Fe+3].[Fe+3]
InChIKey: DCYOBGZUOMKFPA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Polar surface area: 428 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 36
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

5,559 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 859.5998945000007
Image: Prussian blue.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Prussian blue
canonical SMILES: [Fe+3].[Fe+3].[Fe+3].[Fe+3].N#C[Fe-4](C#N)(C#N)(C#N)(C#N)C#N.N#C[Fe-4](C#N)(C#N)(C#N)(C#N)C#N.N#C[Fe-4](C#N)(C#N)(C#N)(C#N)C#N
chemical formula: C₁₈Fe₇N₁₈

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~22 min read

Article

Prussian blue (also known as Berlin blue, Brandenburg blue, Parisian and Paris blue) is a dark blue pigment produced by oxidation of ferrous ferrocyanide salts. It has the chemical formula Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3. It consists of Fe cations, where iron is in the oxidation state of +3, and [Fe(CN)6] anions, where iron is in the oxidation state of +2, so, the other name of this salt is iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II). Turnbull's blue is essentially identical chemically, excepting that it has different impurities and particle sizes—because it is made from different reagents—and thus it has a slightly different color.

Prussian blue was created in the early 18th century and is the first modern synthetic pigment. It is prepared as a very fine colloidal dispersion, because the compound is not soluble in water. It contains variable amounts of other ions and its appearance depends sensitively on the size of the colloidal particles. The pigment is used in paints, it became prominent in 19th-century aizuri-e (藍摺り絵) Japanese woodblock prints, and it is the traditional "blue" in technical blueprints.