Origin of the Anomalous Color of Egyptian and Han Blue Historical Pigments: Going beyond the Complex Approximation in Ligand Field Theory.
The complex approximation is widely used in the framework of the Ligand Field Theory for explaining the optical properties of crystalline coordination compounds. Here, we show that there are essential features of these systems that cannot be understood with the usual approximation that only considers an isolated complex at the correct equilibrium geometry. We also show that a quantitative understanding of such optical transitions cannot, in general, be reached unless the internal electric field, ER(r) created by the whole crystal on active electrons confined in the complex, is also taken into consideration. Seeking to prove the key role played by this internal field, usually ignored in crystalline transition metal compounds, we focus on the origin of the color displayed by the Egyptian Blue pigment (CaCuSi4O10) the first ever synthesized by humans. This pigment, together with Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) are chosen as model systems because the anisotropic ER(r) field produces huge shifts, up to ~0.9 eV, in th.