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Diarylide Yellow FGL, Arylide Yellow FGL

PY97

Alternate Names

Arylide Yellow FGL

Hansa Yellow

Monoazo FGL

Pigment Description

Often described as Hansa Yellow Medium. Somewhat rare in oil paints but more frequently found in watercolor. This is one of many Hansa yellows, and like other hansas the lightfastness may vary from brand to brand even among paints that share the same pigment code (the Hansa that brought this to our attention was PY3- see notes on that pigment for more).

Maimeri ascribes the name Primary Yellow to this bright yellow color. It seems to have decent lightfastness among the better brands, but even then it is only at ASTM II. This color fades a bit in tints.

There is some discrepancy in the opacity of this pigment with some sources describing it as transparent and others as opaque. This article from the coatings world describes it as having "useful opacity".

This pigment may metabolize to a potential carcinogen. This could cause methemoglobinemia, see Monona Rossol's writing for more.

Resources

PY97 pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, Artiscreation.com

Information about PY97 from Bruce MacEvoy, Handprint Guide to Watercolors, General information about this class of pigments from Handprint,

Spurgeon, Tad. Living Craft: A Painter's Process. Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA: Zoetrope, 2018. Newer version available here: https://www.thomaskitts.com/page/36804/tad-spurgeons-living-craft,

Rossol, Monona. The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide. New York, NY : Allworth Press, 2001. The book is rather dated, updated information is available from her website.

Stats

Lightfastness

Very Good, depends on manufacturer

Shows some fading in tints (7’s on the BWS). May be advisable to do one’s own testing as it can vary from brand to brand

Transparency

Transparent, may vary in oil paint

The one single-pigment PY97 we found in oils is listed as semi-opaque

Toxicity

Thought to be in the category of Lower Concern

Treat all pigments and paints with studio safety protocols.

Dry Time

Medium

Less than 5 days

Particle Size

Very Fine

Chemical Name

Monoazo, acetoacetyl FGL

Dry Pigments listing PY97

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