The red pigment in the German newspaper BILD turns 100
A famous red is celebrating its 100th birthday. The Pigment Red 53:1 from Clariant, which is in the red color of the largest German newspaper, BILD, was patented for the first time in 1902. Today, the pigment is manufactured by the pigments and additives Division of Clariant GmbH in a new plant for organic pigments in Tianjin, China. Besides newspaper printing, the pigment is also used for plastics coloration.
The pigment was invented by the "Farbwerke vorm. Meister Lucius & Brüning in Höchst on the Main", a predecessor of the Hoechst AG. The patent description released by the Imperial Patent Office in 1902 sounds rather complicated to modern ears: "Procedure for the formation of a red mono-azo dye made of o-chloro-m-toluidine-p-sulfo acid and ß-naphthol that is particularly suited for the manufacturing of color lakes." Nobody could have anticipated that of this pigment several thousand tons annually would still be produced 100 years later and provide the largest German newspaper its distinctive bright red color for 50 years.
The Pigments & Additives Division of Clariant, a spin-off of Hoechst AG, is one of the largest producers of Pigment Red 53:1. Although the red is the same as 100 years ago, the pigment has made the transition into modern times. While the pigment was mixed in large vessels at Frankfurt-Höchst, today it is produced by a joint venture of Clariant and its local partner in a new production plant in China.
Although the pigment has a long history, research on it has not yet been exhausted. The arrangement of the molecules in the pigment, for example, has not been identified. The pigment is constantly undergoing further development. Last year, Clariant received three patents for an orange-colored variant.
In addition to products which have been successful for a long time, such as Graphtol Red LC and LG for plastics coloration, or Permanent Lake Red LCLL and LCY for printing inks, Clariant just recently introduced a new product: Permanent Lake Red LCYT. It was especially developed for package printing and gives many products a shiny look.
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