Culture

The First New Shade Of Blue In 200 Years Is Now Available To Buy

Currently thinking about how amazing this would look as hair colour

by Merryana Salem  31 January 2021
YInMn-Blue

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Back in 2009, Oregon State University graduate student Andrew Smith created the first new shade of blue in two centuries, and it is now available to buy. The entirely new blue shade, dubbed YInMn Blue, gets its name from the elemental components that created it: Yttrium, Indium, Manganese, and Oxygen.

The shade was actually discovered by accident. Andrew Smith was part of a team researching materials used for electronics applications. Smith was examining the electronic properties of manganese oxide when heated to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the surprise result was the accidental creation of a new shade of blue.

It’s a significant discovery for artists, not just because its a brand new colour to play with, but because YInMn blue is far less perishable than its fellow blue shades. This is because it was created at such high temperatures, signalling the pigment was way more durable than other blue compounds. YInMn reflects heat and absorbs UV radiation, making it cooler and more durable than pigments like cobalt blue.

Blue is one of the oldest manmade paint pigments, with traces of it found in civilisations 1000s of years gone. To have a new shade after two centuries is a pretty big deal by itself, let alone one that lasts longer than any pigment that came before it.

Just over a decade after the colour’s initial discovery, it’s now officially available through retailers in the USA. The authenticated pigment is available for sale in paint retailers like Golden in the US, according to artnet. Though the pigment already inspired a new shade of Crayola crayon called Bluetiful, back in 2017.

With its stunning pigment, durability and vitality, its no wonder the discovery turning heads both in the art and industrial world. While it may have been discovered by accident, YInMn blue could shape the history of the colour for years to come.

Merryana Salem is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian writer, critic, teacher, researcher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out her podcast, GayV Club where she gushes about LGBT rep in media with her best friend. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.