ARTICLE

Edwin B. Faulkner
Director - Comm. & Regulatory Affairs
Sun Chemical Corp
ed.Faulkner@na.sunchem.com

Organic Greens for Plastics

Phthalocyanine Green - Introduction

Cincinnati --  Henry Ford once told the automobile buying public "you can have any color car you want as long as it's black"! This same sentiment applies to the use of organic green pigments in the coloring of plastics. Essentially, the only organic green used is Phthalocyanine Green (aka Phthalo Green). Like its cousin, Phthalo Blue, this green has excellent color, tinctorial and stability properties; making it the most widely used organic green in inks, plastics, coatings and medical devices.

Chemistry, History & Manufacturing Processes  

Phthalo Green is produced by halogenation of Phthalo Blue. The blue shade version, Pigment Green 7, contains between 13 and 15 chlorine atoms (see Figure 1). The yellow shade version, Pigment Green 36, contains 9 bromine atoms (see Figure 2).

Green 7 was first commercialized Germany in 1938; Green 36 followed 20 years later, making it, relatively speaking, "new" by organic pigment standards. Today, the global market for both types is approximately 7,000 metric tons, of which about 30% is consumed in plastics.

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