The current trend in the manufacture and use of organic pigments is a steady increase, the present worldwide consumption being estimated as 160 000 tons, with an equivalent value of about 3 billion dollars.

As a result of the favorable reception of the first edition of this book, we decided to maintain its structure and conception to the greatest possible extent in this new edition. Thus, we have tried to include comprehensively all organic pigments available on the market. The book has been thoroughly reviewed and carefully updated with regard to production, properties, test methods, application, chemical formulas, and the list of commercially available organic pigments. We have considered all the information accessible to us about pigments newly launched on the market as well as additional information about pigments described in the previous edition. The list of commercially available pigments was further supplemented by more C.I. Formula numbers and CAS numbers. Section 1.6.1 (Coloristic Properties) has been kindly revised by Dr. Glaser, DPP pigments (3.5) and quinophthalone pigments (3.9) are now included in Chapter 3. The index was completely revised and considerably extended by a great many additional terms.

For several reasons, ranges of pigments have been rationalized in recent years, causing a withdrawal of a considerable number of pigments from the market. The rationale behind the removal of these pigments, when known to us, is given. Since these brands will still be used for some years, for example in automotive repair finishes, we have continued to describe their properties in the new edition.

The introduction of newly developed, especially high-performance pigments, may take a considerable period of time. Owing to the outdoors weathering tests required, the extensive and comprehensive testing procedures of very lightfast and weatherfast pigments for automotive finishes or certain plastics applications may last two years or even longer. Because of the dependence of lightfastness and weatherfastness on the entire application media, correspondingly comprehensive testing procedures have to be performed by the pigment manufacturer, i.e., the paint company or plastics processor. For this reason, high-performance pigments may often take several years to reach the market.

We thank the management and several colleagues of the Division Specialty Chemicals of Hoechst AG for supporting us again by providing relevant information and scientific sources. Furthermore, we express our gratitude to colleagues at Ciba-Geigy AG in Basel for assistance, which greatly helped to improve our knowledge of DPP pigments. We are grateful to several colleagues from other companies for their advice and suggestions.

The cooperation with our publisher, WILEY-VCH, was again a pleasure for us, and we thank Ms. K. Sora and Ms. C. Grossl in particular for their devotion to making this book a successful one.

Hofheim and Kelkheim

April 1997