Historically, the first mentions of zinc sulfide being utilized as a pigment were approximately sixty years before the everyday use of lithopone. Originally, it was thought to be appropriate for coloring rubber. In England, a patent was granted for this process. Two decades after this, the focus shifted to zinc sulfide as a suitable pigment for paint. The year 1874 witnessed the patenting of a manufacturing process for a novel white pigment composed of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. Dubbed Charlton white or Orr’s white enamel, this began a new era for white pigments.

Drivers

It is a white crystalline powder, which is a mixture of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. The more zinc sulfide it contains, the stronger the hiding power and the higher the quality. The density of lithopone is 4.136~4.34/cm3 and it is insoluble in water. It easily decomposes when exposed to acid to produce hydrogen sulfide gas, but does not work when exposed to hydrogen sulfide and alkaline solutions.