What makes certain car paint appear as different colors depending on the angle of lighting?
In: Chemistry
“Pearlescent paints incorporate shiny ceramic crystals (known as mica crystals) into the paint mixture. These crystals give the paint its namesake pearl-like effect. Like pearls, vehicles with pearlescent paint tend to ‘glow’ and shift colours under different types of light and the angle at which the car is viewed.
Pearlescent paint contains approximately 1 teaspoon of mica crystals per litre of paint. These mica crystals not only reflect light, but bend (refract) it as well. This refraction works on a similar principle to light passing through a glass prism, or the creation of rainbows. The mica crystals in the paint act as tiny prisms.
White light is composed of all of the different colours of light, such as red, orange and green. Each of these colours of light, in turn, has a different wavelength. This means that when white light hits the mica crystal at an angle, not only is it bent, but also dispersed as each colour slows down at a different rate depending on its wavelength. Thus, these mica crystals cause the base paint colour to change depending on the type of light striking the vehicle and the perspective of the observer.”
https://www.carsguide.com.au/oversteer/a-drive-through-paint-design-pearlescent-paint-66949
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