Pyrrole Red: Spectroscopic Analysis Techniques

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PR 254 – pyrrole red

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.

Very good lightfastness is common on pens and inks

Manufacturer/ product code: Kremer / 23180
Chemical Description: diketopyrrolo pyrrole (DPP)
Color: red
Color Index: PR 254
Date: from 1974

PR 254 – Pyrrole Red is a modern synthetic organic pigment belonging to the diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) family, a class of pigments introduced in the late 20th century and widely regarded for their exceptional color strength, brilliance, and durability. PR 254 is characterized by a bright, intense red hue with a slightly warm, scarlet undertone, often compared chromatically to cadmium red but without the associated toxicity of heavy metals.

Chemically, PR 254 is based on the DPP molecular structure, which provides outstanding resistance to light, heat, solvents, and chemical attack. This high level of stability makes the pigment suitable for demanding applications such as automotive coatings, industrial paints, plastics, and high-performance printing inks. Its excellent weatherfastness has made PR 254 a standard replacement for traditional inorganic reds in many outdoor and industrial uses.

In artistic media, PR 254 exhibits very high tinting strength and good opacity to semi-opacity, depending on formulation. It produces clean, powerful mixtures with yellows and oranges and maintains chromatic clarity when mixed with blues, avoiding the dulling often seen with less stable organic reds. Its strong covering power and saturation make it particularly effective for bold passages, flat color areas, and high-chroma accents in oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting.