Colours hold a high place of importance in our lives and have made our lives more vibrant and colourful. When you talk of colours, dyes and pigments are what come first to anyone’s mind. However, colours can be viewed symbolically as well as dissected chemically.
Symbolic Meaning of Colour Blue and Colour Green
In India, colors have been attached great meaning symbolically. Understanding this meaning of some commonly used colors makes for an interesting revelation. Most of the meanings find their origin in nature or in the mythical lives of gods. The color blue for example is related to the skin tone of Lord Krishna, one of the favorite gods of most people in the country. He was the one who is supposed to have taught people the correct way of leading life; he represented power. The color blue is said to be the color of water which is the essence of life; it is dynamic. At the same time, the color green is deeply associated with the agricultural economy of the country. It stands for a new beginning, crop yield and happiness. Nature is symbolized by this color; thus it is a manifestation of life itself.
Chemical Attributes & Applications of Pigment Blue and Pigment Green
Pigment green is an artificial green pigment belonging to the phthalocyanine group of dyes. It is a green powder, insoluble in water and soft to touch. Molecular stability of the pigment makes it resistant to acids, alkalis, heat, solvents and ultra violet radiation. Because of the stability, the pigment is widely used in coatings, inks and plastics. It holds an important place in the packaging and printing ink industry. Many cosmetics barring those used under the eyes have found use for this colour. Though not such a must-include colour for the professional artist it does find its way on a novice artist’s palette.
Pigment blue is a vibrant, crystalline artificial pigment belonging to the phthalocyanine group of dyes. The term ‘phthalo’ comes from ‘naphtha’ meaning oil and ‘cyanine’ means blue. Some of the features of this pigment include light fastness, covering power, tinting strength and resistance to acids and alkalis. It is available in the form of a powder which is water insoluble and also insoluble in many solvents. The pigment is being used in a wide range of applications such as several plastics, coatings and the ink industry. It also holds a place of importance in the packaging and printing ink industry. It is a commonly featuring colour on an artist’s palette. Another wide application of this pigment is in organic solar cell research. Its feature of uniform growth and high chemical stability makes it suitable for thin film solar cells. Quantum computing development too has found use for this pigment.
Though not bio-degradable the pigment is not harmful to plants or marine life. No carcinogenic effects of the pigment are known as yet. However, some evidence indicates the possibility of both the pigment green and pigment blue being the cause of severe birth defects in growing embryos.
A bounty of colours exists in our life each having its own symbolic meaning which vastly differs from the chemical attributes labelled to it in modern day laboratories!