Scheele's Emerald Green

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Description

Scheele’s Green is a vivid yellow-green pigment made from copper arsenite. Its bright, fresh green hue made it immensely popular in the late 18th and 19th centuries, especially in wallpapers, textiles, and paints. When freshly prepared, it produces a luminous, almost emerald-like green, with moderate opacity and strong tinting strength.

However, Scheele’s Green is highly toxic, containing arsenic, and prone to chemical instability. It can blacken when exposed to sulfur or damp conditions, and when applied to wallpaper or fabrics, it was infamous for releasing poisonous arsenical dust.

History

Scheele’s Green was first developed in 1775 by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. It became one of the earliest bright synthetic greens, replacing darker and less stable pigments such as verdigris and green earth.

By the early 19th century, it was widely used in wallpapers, fabrics, toys, and house paints. Unfortunately, its arsenic content made it deadly in enclosed spaces. Damp wallpaper containing Scheele’s Green was linked to outbreaks of arsenic poisoning in Victorian homes, earning it the nickname “poison green.” Some historians even suggest it contributed to illnesses (and possibly the death) of figures such as Napoleon, whose wallpaper at St. Helena was dyed with it.

In fine art, it was used in watercolors, prints, and decorative painting but gradually fell out of use as safer pigments like chrome oxide green (PG17) and viridian (PG18) became available.

Health and Safety

Warnings:

CANCER AGENT.

INHALATION MAY PRODUCE CANCER.

EXPOSURE MAY CAUSE HARM TO THE PREGNANT PEOPLE OR DEVELOPING FETUS.

INHALATION MAY CAUSE LUNG DAMAGE.

CONTAINS LEAD.

Precautions:

Keep out of reach of children and pets.

Do not consume.

Not for cosmetic or food usage.

Do not spray apply.

For further health information contact a poison control center.

Use care when handling dry pigments and avoid dust formation.

Use particular caution with fibrous, fine, or toxic pigments.

Do not eat, drink, or smoke near dry pigments.

Avoid breathing in pigment dust and use a NIOSH-certified dust respirator with sufficient rating for dry pigment.

Wash hands immediately after use or handling.

If dust is likely, always wear protective clothing to keep out of eyes, lungs, off skin, and out of any contact as well as keep area ventilated.

This product may contain chemicals known by the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.

Warnings and bottle information are abbreviated.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Synthetic Inorganic

Chemical Composition: CuHAsO₃ (Copper Arsenite)

Suitable Mediums: Historically used in Watercolor, Tempera, Fresco, Wallpaper, and Decorative Arts (not recommended today)

Lightfastness: Moderate (can darken in sulfurous environments)

Opacity: Semi-Opaque to Opaque

Other Names: Arsenic Green, Emerald Green, Swedish Green, Poison Green, Schloss Green

Color Index Code: PG22