Never Stop Discovering Wed, Jul 26, 2017
A few years ago in 2009, a chemist by the name of Andrew Smith accidentally discovered a new pigment of blue, called YInMn Blue, in a lab while researching the electrical properties of Manganese substances at high temperatures. The new color has many interesting qualities, such as its chemically stable composition, the fact that it does not fade, and is also non-toxic. Moreover, infrared radiation is strongly reflected, which makes this pigment suitable for energy-saving cool coatings.
There are many exciting uses for the new color that are being tested, but most recently, Crayola decided to release a crayon in the new shade, and is holding a naming contest for it, since YInMn Blue is a little hard to pronounce. You can even vote for the new color name until the end of August. Runners up for the new shade’s name are:
- Blue Moon Bliss
- Bluetiful
- Dreams Come Blue
- Reach for the Stars
- Star Spangled Blue
Before the discovery in 2009, the last pigment to be discovered hadn’t taken place since 1802 - which just goes to show that you should never stop exploring -- Never stop pushing the boundaries to what you think you know. Even if it’s a happy accident, sometimes there really are some new things under the sun just waiting to be stumbled upon.