Diarylide pigments are organic compounds that are used as pigments in inks and related materials. They often are yellow or yellow-green. To some extent, these organic compounds have displaced cadmium sulfide from the market. They exist as yellow powders of low solubility in water.
The formation of these pigments involves the reaction of diazotized aromatic diamines (derivatives of benzidine) with coupling components, typically derivatives of acetoacetanilide. By varying both of these components, a wide variety of pigments have been produced. A related family of organic pigments are the simpler arylides, which arise from the coupling of monodiazonium salts with the same coupling partners.
The molecular structures of these molecules is more conjugated than represented in the images shown below. The pigments' colors can range from yellow to green. One of the most common diarlyide yellow pigments is Pigment Yellow 12. Its CAS number is