PTCDA
A dark red organic compound used to make Rylene dyes and pigments
No single value: PTCDA is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, red.
PTCDA is a dark red organic compound used mainly to create Rylene dyes, which serve as pigments and dyes. It is valued in industry for its role as a starting material and has drawn interest for its properties as an organic semiconductor.
- PTCDA is a dark red synthetic compound
- It is used to make Rylene dyes and pigments
- The molecule has a perylene core with two anhydride groups
- It is studied as an organic semiconductor
- PTCDA forms two crystalline types: α and β
What colour is PTCDA?
PTCDA is a synthetic compound with a deep red colour. It appears as a solid and is not easily dissolved in many common organic liquids. Its structure is based on a perylene core with two anhydride groups attached, giving it a distinctive arrangement. The compound forms crystals in two different shapes, both sharing the same symmetry and a relatively high density for an organic material.
Where does PTCDA come from?
The name PTCDA comes from its chemical structure: perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride. It is not tied to any particular place or tradition, but is instead a product of chemical synthesis, designed for its usefulness in making other dye molecules.
How is PTCDA made?
PTCDA is made in laboratories and factories through chemical processes. It is not found in nature. The compound is built by attaching anhydride groups to a perylene base, resulting in a molecule with specific properties needed for dye and pigment production.
Where PTCDA is used
Industrially, PTCDA is mainly used to produce Rylene dyes, which are important in making pigments and dyes for various applications. It is also studied for its behaviour as an organic semiconductor, which means it can conduct electricity under certain conditions and is of interest in electronic materials.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
The flag uses the four Pan-Arab colours: a red bar at the hoist with green, white and black bands. It was designed by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maainah, in 1971.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of the United Arab EmiratesThe flag is a black double-headed eagle on red, the banner of the fifteenth-century hero Skanderbeg. Fans chant Kuq e Zi, red and black.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of AlbaniaArmenian scribes painted manuscripts with vordan karmir, a crimson dye made from an insect that lives on the roots of grasses in the Ararat plain.
Sacred and holySource: Armenian cochinealUnder Juan Manuel de Rosas in the 1830s and 1840s, everyone had to wear a scarlet ribbon to show loyalty to his Federalist party. His enemies, the Unitarians, were tied to sky blue.
Politics and protestFearSource: Juan Manuel de RosasThe flag is red, white and red. Legend says Duke Leopold V's white tunic was soaked in blood at the siege of Acre, all but the band under his belt.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of AustriaRed ochre is used in Aboriginal rock art and ceremony, and is traded over long distances. In the Aboriginal flag the red half stands for the earth and for that ochre.
Sacred and holyNature and renewalAweSource: Australian Aboriginal flagShades and relatives of PTCDA
PTCDA can form two types of crystals, called α and β, which differ in their arrangement but have similar density and symmetry. It serves as the basis for a family of related dyes, known as Rylene dyes, which share similar core structures but may have different colours and properties.
Questions people ask about PTCDA
What colour is PTCDA?
PTCDA is a deep red solid. Its strong colour makes it useful as a starting point for making dyes and pigments.
Where does the name PTCDA come from?
PTCDA stands for perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, which describes its chemical structure.
What is PTCDA used for?
PTCDA is mainly used to produce Rylene dyes, which are important in pigments and dyes for art and textiles. It is also researched for its properties as an organic semiconductor.
Is PTCDA a natural or synthetic compound?
PTCDA is a synthetic compound, made through chemical processes in laboratories or factories.
Good reading and sources
- Perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride", 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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