incolore

Incolore is an Italian adjective meaning colorless, lacking color or pigment. It is used in Italian to describe substances, solutions, and materials that do not display a hue and are typically transparent.

In chemistry, a substance or solution is described as incolore if it does not absorb visible light to a noticeable extent, producing no hue. Many salts and acids are colorless in solution, while many transition metal ions create color due to d-d transitions; thus colorless solutions or compounds are common exceptions rather than the rule. Examples include water, hydrochloric acid, and most inorganic salts in solution, as well as many organic solvents such as hexane and acetonitrile.

In optics and materials science, a colorless (incolore) material transmits most wavelengths of visible light with minimal absorption; glass, many plastics, and water are colorless or nearly so, though impurities or very slight coloration can occur.

Incolore usage in non-scientific contexts describes pigments, inks, or films lacking pigment or dye; its antonym is colorato in Italian. The term can also appear in literary or metaphorical writing to denote absence of color or vitality.

See also: color, achromatic, colorimetry, polymers and materials color.