Chromium Oxide Green (Cr2O3) or Pigment Green 17, is an exceptionally stable, opaque, and lightfast inorganic pigment with a muted, earthy, yellowish-green tone . Industrially used since the 1860s for coatings, ceramics, and construction, it is also a staple for artists in oil, watercolor, and acrylic for creating landscapes and foliage.
Key Characteristics and Uses:
- Color & Properties: Produces a deep, slightly cool, and dull green. It has high tinting strength, is non-toxic, and is generally unaffected by acids, alkalis, and solvents.
- Stability: Exceptionally durable with high lightfastness (rating of 8, the highest, on the Blue Wool Scale).
- Artistic Use: Ideal for natural, muted greens, foliage, and landscapes. It can be mixed with yellow ochre for warmer tones or ultramarine for deeper shades.
- Industrial Applications: Commonly used in construction for tinting concrete and bricks, in plastics, in high-temperature refractories, and in green buffing compounds for polishing metals.
- Safety: It is considered safe in cosmetics, provided it is free from chrome (VI) ions.