Manganese Violet

Synonyms:

Manganese Violet, Mineral Violet, Permanent Violet, Nürnbergerviolett

This pigment is rarely met with on the palette of the artist; it is, however, quite permanent and has a truer violet hue than cobalt violet, which is redder as well as brighter. Its preparation is somewhat tedious. It is made by means of manganous chloride and phosphoric acid, solutions of these compounds being mixed together, evaporated to dryness, and then the residual mass fused. The fused mass is broken up and boiled with a solution of ammonium carbonate. The turbid liquor is allowed to settle, and then the clear portion is decanted or filtered off and evaporated to dryness, and the residue fused. By grinding the fused mass and boiling it with water a fine precipitate of 'manganese violet' separates: it is removed by filtration and thoroughly washed and dried. It appears to be essentially manganous metaphosphate, although by no means pure.

Two other violet or purple pigments of a permanent character have been already described. One of these is violet cobalt (page 211), the other violet ultramarine (page 232).