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The chemist and Oregon State University professor Mas Subramanian was focused on discovering exotic materials to use in electronics. But to his surprise, he became known for accidentally creating something quite different: a color called YInMn blue–the first new blue pigment in centuries. Now, Subramanian’s pigment is serving as the inspiration for Crayola’s newest crayon.
In 2009, a student in Subramanian’s lab pulled a combination of the oxides of yttrium, indium, and manganese out of the furnace. To Subramanian’s surprise, the substance was a bright, brilliant blue. He knew immediately he’d discovered something.
It turned out to be a pigment–the first blue pigment discovered since 1802, when the French chemist Louis Jacques Thenard discovered cobalt blue (though in actuality, it had been used in Chinese pottery for centuries). Subramanian’s pigment, because it’s made at high temperatures, is a very stable compound, meaning that it doesn’t react when heated, cooled, or mixed with water or acid. It’s also easily reproducible, making it valuable for manufacturing purposes, and it reflects heat, which would help it keep objects or spaces cooler. Subramanian, who had worked at DuPont for 22 years before becoming a professor, and who has 60 patents to his name, knew that it was an incredible discovery. He filed for a patent immediately.
“It was serendipity, or a happy accident, because we weren’t looking for it,” he says. “Most of the science discoveries come from an unexpected place.”
www.fastcompany.com
In 2009, a student in Subramanian’s lab pulled a combination of the oxides of yttrium, indium, and manganese out of the furnace. To Subramanian’s surprise, the substance was a bright, brilliant blue. He knew immediately he’d discovered something.
It turned out to be a pigment–the first blue pigment discovered since 1802, when the French chemist Louis Jacques Thenard discovered cobalt blue (though in actuality, it had been used in Chinese pottery for centuries). Subramanian’s pigment, because it’s made at high temperatures, is a very stable compound, meaning that it doesn’t react when heated, cooled, or mixed with water or acid. It’s also easily reproducible, making it valuable for manufacturing purposes, and it reflects heat, which would help it keep objects or spaces cooler. Subramanian, who had worked at DuPont for 22 years before becoming a professor, and who has 60 patents to his name, knew that it was an incredible discovery. He filed for a patent immediately.
“It was serendipity, or a happy accident, because we weren’t looking for it,” he says. “Most of the science discoveries come from an unexpected place.”
This Scientist Discovered A New Blue–And Now Crayola Is Making It Into A Crayon
YInMn Blue, the first new blue pigment in 200 years, was created in a lab accident.
www.fastcompany.com
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