Benzimidazolone Carmine: A Deep Carmine Red - Cultural Heritage Science Open Source

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PR 176 – benzimidazolone carmine

This page presents the Spectroscopic analysis of this pigment.
The pigment has been examined using XRF spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and Reflectance Spectroscopy. These complementary techniques provide valuable insights into the pigment’s composition and structure.
This page aims to show which analytical methods are most effective for identifying this pigment in artworks and historical materials. By comparing results across different techniques, it serves as a practical reference for Heritage Science, Conservation, and Pigment Analysis.

An extremely stable pigments, for this reason, also used in toys and food-contact objects

Manufacturer/ product code: Kremer / 23403
Chemical Description: benzimidazolone
Color: red
Color Index: PR 176
Date: 1960

PR 176 – Benzimidazolone Carmine is a synthetic organic pigment belonging to the benzimidazolone azo family, a class developed to provide vivid reds with significantly improved permanence compared to traditional azo pigments. Introduced in the late 20th century, PR 176 represents the evolution of high-performance organic reds designed for both artistic and industrial reliability.

In color, PR 176 appears as a deep carmine red with a subtle bluish undertone, combining richness with clarity. It is generally semi-opaque, offering good covering power while retaining sufficient transparency for nuanced layering and mixing. Compared to classic carmine or naphthol reds, benzimidazolone carmine shows greater chromatic stability and less tendency to fade or darken over time. In mixtures, it produces strong violets with blues and elegant, muted browns with earth pigments, making it versatile across a wide tonal range.

Technically, PR 176 is prized for its excellent lightfastness, thermal resistance, and chemical stability. It performs reliably in demanding applications such as automotive coatings, plastics, and high-quality printing inks. In artists’ paints, PR 176 is valued as a modern, permanent alternative to historic organic carmine pigments, offering a deep, expressive red with the durability expected from contemporary high-performance colorants.