Chrysophenine
A golden-yellow direct dye for textiles and biological stains
No single value: Chrysophenine is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Chrysophenine is a yellow disazo stilbene dye that dissolves in water and is mainly used to colour textiles and for biological staining. It gives cellulose fibres like cotton and paper a bright golden-yellow shade and is valued for its resistance to acids and radiation.
- Gives textiles a bright golden-yellow colour
- Soluble in water and used as a direct dye
- Resistant to acids and radiation
- Used in biological staining and textile dyeing
What colour is Chrysophenine?
Chrysophenine is a synthetic yellow dye that appears as an orange powder but produces a bright golden-yellow colour when used on textiles. It is water-soluble and belongs to the disazo stilbene group, which means its chemical structure contains two azo groups and a stilbene core. This dye stands out for its ability to colour cellulose materials directly, without extra chemicals, and for its stability under acidic and radiative conditions.
Where does Chrysophenine come from?
The name 'Chrysophenine' refers to its yellow colour, with 'chryso-' often used in chemistry for gold or yellow. It is also called Direct Yellow 12, reflecting its use as a direct dye in the textile industry. The dye is made by modifying Brilliant Yellow, a related compound, through a chemical reaction with chloroethane.
How is Chrysophenine made?
Chrysophenine is produced by reacting Brilliant Yellow with chloroethane, which changes two hydroxyl groups in Brilliant Yellow into ether groups. This process creates a water-soluble dye that forms an orange powder in its pure state. The dye contains sulfogroups, which help it dissolve in water and bind to fibres.
Where Chrysophenine is used
This dye is mainly used for colouring cellulose fibres such as cotton, linen, viscose, and paper, giving them a golden-yellow shade. It is also used for biological staining in laboratories and has potential in photodynamic therapy. Its chemical structure allows it to dye wool and silk as an acidic dye. Chrysophenine is valued for being resistant to acids and radiation.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of Chrysophenine
Chrysophenine is sometimes confused with other yellow dyes, but it is distinct for its direct application to fibres and its chemical resistance. It is also known as Direct Yellow 12 and Chrysophenine G. Related dyes include other stilbene-based and disazo compounds.
Questions people ask about Chrysophenine
What colour is Chrysophenine?
Chrysophenine produces a bright golden-yellow colour on textiles, though its pure powder form is orange.
Where does the name Chrysophenine come from?
The name uses 'chryso-' for yellow or gold, and it is also known as Direct Yellow 12 in the textile industry.
What is Chrysophenine used for?
It is mainly used to dye cellulose fibres like cotton and paper, and for biological staining in laboratories.
How is Chrysophenine made?
It is made by reacting Brilliant Yellow with chloroethane, converting hydroxyl groups into ether groups.
Is Chrysophenine resistant to acids?
Yes, it is known for its resistance to acids and radiation.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Chrysophenine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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