The History of Artificial Ultramarine (1787–1844): Science, Industry and Secrecy

Abstract

Between 1826 and 1828 three ways of synthesising artificial ultramarine were found independently in Toulouse, Tübingen and Meissen. This paper is about the scientific development that led up to these events, the industrial production and marketing of ultramarine, and the roles played by Jean-Baptiste Guimet, Christian Gottlob Gmelin, Friedrich August Köttig, Carl Leverkus and Thomas Leykauf. Special attention is paid to the chemical analyses of lapis lazuli, natural ultramarine and the blue residues from soda furnaces prior to 1824, as well as the crucial roles played by chemical education, laboratory experiments and the scientific background of the early ultramarine manufacturers.