YInMn Blue , A team of chemists at Oregon State University (OSU), led by Mas Subramanian, was experimenting with rare earth elements while developing materials for use in electronics in 2009 when the pigment was accidentally created.
Andrew Smith, a graduate student at the time, mixed Yttrium, Indium, Manganese, and Oxygen at about 2000 °F. What emerged from the furnace was a
never-before-seen brilliant blue compound. Subramanian understood immediately that his team stumbled on a
major discovery.
YInMn Blue has the hex code #2E5090. The equivalent RGB values are (46, 80, 144), which means it is composed of 17%
red, 30%
green and 53% blue. The CMYK color codes, used in printers, are C:
68 M:45 Y:0 K:
44. In the HSV/HSB scale, YInMn Blue has a hue of 219°,
68% saturation and a brightness value of 56%.
YInMn Blue is now available in
paint form at select stores across the
country — though a 1.3-ounce
tube can go for as much as $179.40
