In which year was Prussian blue discovered?

In which year was Prussian blue discovered?

• A. 1700
• B. 1714
• C. 1704
• D. 1785

Answer: (C)

Prussian blue represents an early breakthrough in pigment chemistry: it was discovered accidentally in 1704 in Berlin by the chemist Johann Jacob Diesbach while he was attempting to make a red pigment. Instead, the mixture produced a deep blue, later identified as ferric ferrocyanide and known as Prussian blue (Berlin blue). This event marks one of the first successful syntheses of a modern inorganic pigment, showing how new colors can arise from chemical experimentation. The other dates don’t match the historical record, which places the discovery specifically in 1704.

Prussian blue represents an early breakthrough in pigment chemistry: it was discovered accidentally in 1704 in Berlin by the chemist Johann Jacob Diesbach while he was attempting to make a red pigment. Instead, the mixture produced a deep blue, later identified as ferric ferrocyanide and known as Prussian blue (Berlin blue). This event marks one of the first successful syntheses of a modern inorganic pigment, showing how new colors can arise from chemical experimentation. The other dates don’t match the historical record, which places the discovery specifically in 1704.