Dyes and Pigments

Dyes
Are substances that can be used to impart color to other materials,
such as textiles, foodstuffs, and paper. Unlike pigments, dyes are absorbed
to a certain extent by the material to which they are applied. The colors from
some dyes are more stable than others, however. A dye that does not fade
when the material it was applied to is exposed to conditions associated with
its intended use is called a fast dye. Contrariwise, a dye that loses its
coloring during proper usage is referred to as a fugitive dye. Some of the
conditions that could cause such a change in the properties of a dye include
exposure to acids, sunlight, or excessive heat as well as various washing and
cleaning procedures. Certain dyes may be considered both fast and fugitive,
depending on the material with which they are used.

The process of dyeing is carried out in a variety of ways depending on the

specific dye utilized as well as the properties of the material. Silk, wool, and
some other textiles may, for instance, be directly dyed by simply dipping
them into the colorant. Much more often, however, the use of a reagent
known as a mordant is necessary to fix dyes to materials. A number of
different compounds may be used as mordants, but metallic hydroxides of
tin, iron, chromium, or aluminum are most common. Oftentimes, the color
that a particular dye imparts is dependent on the mordant it is utilized with.
Another method of dyeing involves the use of vats. For instance, the dye
indigo begins as a colorless soluble substance that is dissolved in water in a
vat before cloth is dipped into it. When oxygen from the air or another
chemical added to the vat comes into contact with the indigo solution, an
insoluble blue color results. Batik dyeing, a process that was invented during
antiquity in Java, can be used with silks or cottons and involves the
application of wax to the cloth before dye treatment in order to create
unusual designs and color patterns.

A dye can generally be described as a coloured substance that has an affinity

to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is usually used as an
aqueous solution and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the
dye on the fibre. (In contrast, a pigment generally has no affinity for the
substrate, and is insoluble)
Archaeological evidence shows that, particularly in India and the Middle
East, dyeing has been carried out for over 5000 years. The dyes were
obtained from either animal, vegetable or mineral origin with no or very
little processing. By far the greatest source of dyes has been from the plant
kingdom, notably roots, berries, bark, leaves and wood, but only a few have
ever been used on a commercial scale.

The first man made organic dye, mauveine, was discovered by William
Henry Perkin in 1856. Many thousands of dyes have since been prepared
and because of vastly improved properties imparted upon the dyed materials
quickly replaced the traditional natural dyes. Dyes are now classified
according to how they are used in the dyeing process.

Acid dye - Water soluble anionic dyes that are applied to fibres such as
silk, wool, nylon and modified acrylic fibres from neutral to acid dyebaths.
Attachment to the fibre is attributed, at least partly, to salt formation
between anionic groups in the dyes and cationic groups in the fibre. Acid
dyes are not substantive to cellulosic fibres.

Basic dye - Water soluble cationic dyes that are applied to wool, silk,
cotton and modified acrylic fibres. Usually acetic acid is added to the
dyebath to help the take up of the dye onto the fibre. Basic dyes are also
used in the coloration of paper.

Direct (Substantive) dye - Dyeing is normally carried out in a neutral

or slightly alkaline dyebath, at or near the boil, with the addition of either
sodium chloride (NaCl) or sodium sulphate (Na2SO4). Direct dyes are used
on cotton, paper, leather, wool, silk and nylon. They are also used as pH
indicators and as biological stains.

Mordant dye - As the name suggests these dyes require a mordant. This
improves the fastness of the dye on the fibre such as water, light and
perspiration fastness. The choice of mordant is very important as different
mordants can change the final colour significantly. Most natural dyes are
mordant dyes and there is therefore a large literature base describing dyeing
techniques.
Vat dye - These dyes are essentially insoluble in water and incapable of
dyeing fibres directly. However, reduction in alkaline liquor produces the
water soluble alkali metal salt of the dye. In this leuco form these dyes have
an affinity for the textile fibre. Subsequent oxidation reforms the original
insoluble dye.

Reactive dye - First appeared commercially in 1956 and were used to

dye cellulosic fibres. The dyes contain a reactive group that, when applied to
a fibre in a weakly alkaline dyebath, form a chemical bond with the fibre.
Reactive dyes can also be used to dye wool and nylon, in the latter case they
are applied under weakly acidic conditions.

Disperse dye - Originally developed for the dyeing of cellulose acetate.

They are substantially water insoluble. The dyes are finely ground in the
presence of a dispersing agent then sold as a paste or spray dried and sold as
a powder. They can also be used to dye nylon, triacetate, polyester and
acrylic fibres. In some cases a dyeing temperature of 130 deg C is required
and a pressurised dyebath is used. The very fine particle size gives a large
surface area that aids dissolution to allow uptake by the fibre. The dyeing
rate can be significantly influenced by the choice of dispersing agent used
during the grinding.

Azoic dye - A dyeing technique in which an insoluble azo dye is

produced directly onto or within the fibre. This is achieved by treating a
fibre with a diazo component and a coupling component. With suitable
adjustment of dyebath conditions the two components react to produce the
required insoluble azo dye. This technique of dyeing is unique in that the
final colour is controlled by the choice of the diazo and coupling
components.

One other class which describes the role dyes have rather than their mode of
use is food dyes. This is a special class of dyes of very high purity. They
include direct, mordant and vat dyes. Their use is strictly controlled by
legislation. Many are azo dyes but anthraquinone and triphenylmethane
compounds are used for colours such as green and blue. Some naturally
occurring dyes are also used.
Pigments:
Are the basis of all paints, and have been used for millennia.
They are ground colored material. Early pigments were simply as ground
earth or clay, and were made into paint with spit or fat. Modern pigments are
often sophisticated masterpieces of chemical engineering. In biology,
pigment is any color in plant or animal cells. Nearly all types of cells, such
as skin, eyes, fur and hair contain pigment. Creatures that have deficient
pigmentation are called albinos.

In the coloring of paint, ink, plastic, fabric and other material, a pigment is a
dry colorant, usually an insoluble powder. There are both natural and
synthetic pigments, both organic and inorganic ones. Pigments work by
selectively absorbing some parts of the visible spectrum (see light) whilst
reflecting others.

A distinction is usually made between a pigment, which is insoluble, and a

dye, which is either a liquid, or is soluble. There is no well-defined dividing
line between pigments and dyes, however, and some coloring agents are
used as both pigments and dyes. In some cases, a pigment will be made by
precipitating a soluble dye with a metallic salt. The resulting pigment is
called a "lake".

Pigments are chemical compounds which reflect only certain wavelengths of

visible light. This makes them appear "colorful". Flowers, corals, and even
animal skin contain pigments which give them their colors. More important
than their reflection of light is the ability of pigments to absorb certain
wavelengths.

Because they interact with light to absorb only certain wavelengths,

pigments are useful to plants and other autotrophs --organisms which make
their own food using photosynthesis. In plants, algae, and cyanobacteria,
pigments are the means by which the energy of sunlight is captured for
photosynthesis. However, since each pigment reacts with only a narrow
range of the spectrum, there is usually a need to produce several kinds of
pigments, each of a different color, to capture more of the sun's energy.
There are three basic classes of pigments.

Chlorophylls are greenish pigments which contain a porphyrin ring. This is a

stable ring-shaped molecule around which electrons are free to migrate.
Because the electrons move freely, the ring has the potential to gain or lose
electrons easily, and thus the potential to provide energized electrons to
other molecules. This is the fundamental process by which chlorophyll
"captures" the energy of sunlight.

There are several kinds of chlorophyll, the most important being chlorophyll
"a". This is the molecule which makes photosynthesis possible, by passing
its energized electrons on to molecules which will manufacture sugars. All
plants, algae, and cyanobacteria which photosynthesize contain chlorophyll
"a". A second kind of chlorophyll is chlorophyll "b", which occurs only in
"green algae" and in the plants. A third form of chlorophyll which is
common is (not surprisingly) called chlorophyll "c", and is found only in the
photosynthetic members of the Chromista as well as the dinoflagellates. The
differences between the chlorophylls of these major groups was one of the
first clues that they were not as closely related as previously thought.

Carotenoids are usually red, orange, or yellow pigments, and include the
familiar compound carotene, which gives carrots their color. These
compounds are composed of two small six-carbon rings connected by a
"chain" of carbon atoms. As a result, they do not dissolve in water, and must
be attached to membranes within the cell. Carotenoids cannot transfer
sunlight energy directly to the photosynthetic pathway, but must pass their
absorbed energy to chlorophyll. For this reason, they are called accessory
pigments. One very visible accessory pigment is fucoxanthin the brown
pigment which colors kelps and other brown algae as well as the diatoms.

Phycobilins are water-soluble pigments, and are therefore found in the

cytoplasm, or in the stroma of the chloroplast. They occur only in
Cyanobacteria and Rhodophyta.
The picture at the right shows the two classes of phycobilins which may be
extracted from these "algae". The vial on the left contains the bluish pigment
phycocyanin, which gives the Cyanobacteria their name. The vial on the
right contains the reddish pigment phycoerythrin, which gives the red algae
their common name.
Phycobilins are not only useful to the organisms which use them for soaking
up light energy; they have also found use as research tools. Both pycocyanin
and phycoerythrin fluoresce at a particular wavelength. That is, when they
are exposed to strong light, they absorb the light energy, and release it by
emitting light of a very narrow range of wavelengths. The light produced by
this fluorescence is so distinctive and reliable, that phycobilins may be used
as chemical "tags". The pigments are chemically bonded to antibodies,
which are then put into a solution of cells. When the solution is sprayed as a
stream of fine droplets past a laser and computer sensor, a machine can
identify whether the cells in the droplets have been "tagged" by the
antibodies. This has found extensive use in cancer research, for "tagging"
tumor cells.
 REACTIVE DYE
Reactive dyes first appeared commercially in 1956, after their
invention in 1954 by Rattee and Stephens at the Imperial Chemical
Industries Dyestuffs Division site in Blackley, Manchester, United Kingdom
• Various developments – including new chemical types
• 1980’s Mixed bifunctional dyes (esp. Sumitomo – Sumifix Supra dye

“About Reactive Dye”

Reactive dyes are used to dye cellulosic fibres. The dyes
contain a reactive group, either a haloheterocycle or an activated double
bond, that, when applied to a fibre in an alkaline dye bath, forms a chemical
bond with an hydroxyl group on the cellulosic fibre. Reactive dyeing is now
the most important method for the coloration of cellulosic fibres. Reactive
dyes can also be applied on wool and nylon; in the latter case they are
applied under weakly acidic conditions. Reactive dyes have a low utilization
degree compared to other types of dyestuff.

General Features of a Reactive Dye Molecule:

W = water solubilising group

D = chromophore
B = bridging group
RG = reactive group
X = leaving group
 “Types of Reactive Dyes”

1. Sulphatoethyl sulphone dyes:

O NH2
SO3Na

O N
H

SO2CH2CH2OSO3Na

Vinyl sulphone dye (Remazol Brilliant Blue R, C.I. Reactive Blue 19)

2. Monochloro-s-triazine dyes:
Cl

SO3Na N N

OH HN N N
N H
N

NaSO3 SO3Na

Monochloro-s-triazine dye (Procion Red H-3B, C.I. Reactive Red 3)

3. Bis (monochloro-s-triazine) dyes:
Cl Cl

SO3Na N N N N NaSO3

OH HN N N N N NH OH
N H H N
N N

NaSO3 SO3Na NaSO3 SO3Na

Bis(monochloro-s-triazine) dye (Procion Red HE-3B, C.I. Reactive Red 120

4. Mixed Bifunctional reactive dyes:

Cl
N
Dye NH N
N
N
H

General structure of Sumifix Supra dyes

SO2CH2CH2OSO3Na
MCT-SES or MCT-VS
[Reactron Supra F dyes are similar
 “Reactions of Reactive Dyes”

Nucleophilic addition:

H H
O - NaHSO O
4
DYE S C C OSO3Na DYE S CH CH2
O H H O

O H - O
- +Cellulose O +
DYE S CH C O Cellulose DYE S CH CH2
O H O

H2O

O H H
DYE S C C O Cellulose + OH-
O H H

ß-elimination of ß-sulphatoethylsulphone to vinyl sulphone and reaction

with cellulose.
Nucleophilic substitution
Aromatic rings are electronically very stable, and will
attempt to retain this. This means that instead of the
nucleophilic addition that occurs with alkenes, they undergo
nucleophilic substitution, and keep the favourable π -
electron system. However, nucleophilic subsitutions are not
very common on aromatics, given their already high electron
density. To encourage nucloephilic substitution, groups can
be added to the aromatic ring which will decrease the
electron density at a position and facilitate attack. For
example2:

But this requires harsh conditions. To improve the rate

under mild conditions, powerful electron-withdrawing groups
such as -NO2 may be added2.

However, this will only work if there is a good leaving group,

such as -Cl or -N2.

The major fibre-reactive group which reacts this way

contains six-membered, heterocyclic, aromatic rings, with
halogen substituents. For example, the Procion dye2: (This
is the same as the chime molecule at the top of the page)
Where X = Cl, NHR, OR. Nucleophilic substitution is
facilitated by the electron withdrawing properties of the
aromatic nitrogens, and the chlorine, and the anionic
intermediate is resonance stabilised as well. This resonance
means that the negative charge is delocalised onto the
electronegative nitrogens2:

One problem is that instead of reacting with the -OH grous

on the cellulose, the fibre-reactive group may react with the
HO- ions in the alkali solution and become hydrolysed. The
two reactions compete, and this unfavourable because the
hydrolysed dye cannot react further. This must be washed
out of the fabric before use, to prevent any leakage of dye,
and not only increases the cost of the textile, but adds to
possible environmental damage from contaminated water2.
 “Application Methods”
• Continuous:
– eg. Pad - Thermofix

• Semi-Continuous:
– eg. Pad - Batch

• Batchwise Exhaustion:
– eg. Winch, Jet, Package and Beam Dyeing

• Printing:
– eg. Print - Thermofix

“Advantages and Disadvantages”

Advantages:
• Full Colour Gamut
• Brilliant, bright colours
• Colvalent fixation à high WashFastness (WF)
• Varying reactivities
– Various temperatures
including low energy (cold dyeing)
• Various methods of application
• Inexpensive to apply (but dyes expensive)
Disadvantages:
• Incomplete fixation (problem with hydrolysis)
• Need for wash-off (for high WF)
• Need for high concentrations of salt
– Affect natural balance of watercourses
• High pH
• Some dyes are “AOX” – potentially harmful to the environment

“Usage”
Reactive dyes are used to dye cellulosic fibres. The dyes contain a reactive
group, either a haloheterocycle or an activated double bond, that, when
applied to a fibre in an alkaline dye bath, forms a chemical bond with an
hydroxyl group on the cellulosic fibre. Reactive dyeing is now the most
important method for the coloration of cellulosic fibres. Reactive dyes can
also be applied on wool and nylon; in the latter case they are applied under
weakly acidic conditions. Reactive dyes have a low utilization degree
compared to other types of dyestuff, since the functional group also bonds to
water, creating hydrolysis.
“Hot And Cold Dyeing Brands”

Cold Dyeing Brand:

Reactive Cold Brand Dyestuffs are fibre reactive
dyes which form a chemical linkage with Hydroxyl groups of Cellulose and
thus give dyeing and printing good fastness to wet treatments.

Hot Dyeing Brand:

He Dyes are Reactive Dyes for Cellulosic material and
designed to give high fixation by exhaust dyeing method when applied at the
temperature 75ºC - 95ºC.

The other misconception that people have is that they assume

the Hot dye is more colour-fast than the Cold one because you have boiled
the colour in. This is not so. Cold dyes are more robust and colours will
remain brighter for longer than Hot dyes. The cooler process is not only a
little easier, it is also more lasting.

Cold reactive dyes are very reliable and used throughout the global clothing
and textile industries to permanently colour fabrics made from plant fibres.
The dyes react with the fibre on a molecular level to produce a permanent
bond that withstands wash after wash. The colour becomes part of the fabric.
 Disperse Dye
Disperse dye is originally developed for the dyeing of cellulose acetate.
They are substantially water insoluble. The dyes are finely ground in the
presence of a dispersing agent then sold as a paste or spray dried and sold as
a powder. They can also be used to dye nylon, triacetate, polyester and
acrylic fibres. In some cases a dyeing temperature of 130 deg C is required
and a pressurized dyebath is used. The very fine particle size gives a large
surface area that aids dissolution to allow uptake by the fibre. The dyeing
rate can be significantly influenced by the choice of dispersing agent used
during the grinding.

Disperse dyes have low solubility in water, but they can interact with the
polyester chains by forming dispersed particles. Their main use is the dyeing
of polyesters, and they find minor use dyeing cellulose acetates and
polyamides. The general structure of disperse dyes is small, planar and non-
ionic, with attached polar functional groups like -NO2 and -CN. The shape
makes it easier for the dye to slide between the tightly-packed polymer
chains, and the polar groups improve the water solubility, improve the
dipolar bonding between dye and polymer and affect the colour of the dye.
However, their small size means that disperse dyes are quite volatile, and
tend to sublime out of the polymer at sufficiently high temperatures.

The dye is generally applied under pressure, at temperatures of about 130oC.

At this temperature, thermal agitation causes the polymer's structure to
become looser and less crystalline, opening gaps for the dye molecules to
enter. The interactions between dye and polymer are thought to be Van-der-
Waals and dipole forces.

The volatility of the dye can cause loss of colour density, and staining of
other materials at high temperatures. This can be counteracted by using
larger molecules or making the dye more polar (or both). This has a
drawback, however, in that this new larger, more polar molecule will need
more extreme forcing conditions to dye the polymer2.
The most important class is the azo class. This class of azo disperse dyes
may be further sub-divided into four groups, the most numerous of which is
the aminoazobenzene class. This class of dye can be altered as mentioned
before, to produce bathochromic shifts. A range of heterocyclic
aminoazobenzene dyes are also available. These give bright dyes, and are
bathochromically shifted to give blues. The third class of disperse dye is
based on heterocyclic coupling components, which produce bright yellow
dyes. The fourth class are disazo dyes. These tend to be quite simple in
structure. Other than these, there are disperse dyes of the carbonyl class, and
a few from the nitro and polymethine classes.

Common and Generic Names for Disperse Dyes

Colour Index Names for PROSperse Disperse Dyes

PRO chem # Name Colour Index Name

D118 Bright Yellow Disperse Yellow 218
D225 Clear Orange Disperse Orange 25
D333 Fuchsia Disperse Violet 33
D350 Flame Scarlet Disperse Red 325
D360 Bright Red Disperse Red 60
D426 Turquoise Disperse Blue 26
D450 National Blue Disperse Blue C-4RA (manufacturer's mix?)
D459 Bright Blue Disperse Blue 56
D460 Deep Navy Disperse Navy 35
D650 Cool Black Disperse Black C-MDA (manufacturer's mix?)
D770 Meadow In House Mix
D773 Sage In House Mix
D880 Iris In House Mix
D885 Lilac In House Mix
D125 Buttercup In House Mix
 APPLICATION OF DISPERSE DYES:

Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes

Polyester requires the use of disperse dyes. Other types of dyes leave the
color of polyester almost entirely unchanged. While novices happily charge
into dyeing with acid dyes (for wool or nylon) and fiber reactive dyes (for
cotton and rayon), often with excellent results, the immersion dyeing of
polyester is a different story.
However, disperse dye can be used by even young children to make designs
on paper, which can then be transferred to polyester fabric, or other
synthetics, with a hot iron. The possibilities are endless, using fabric
crayons, rubber stamps, painting, and even screen printing.

Stamp Pad Ink

Disperse dye can be applied to paper with rubber stamps, and then ironed on
to polyester, just like the crayons. You can use special, large-scale fabric
stamps to apply other dyes to fabric, but only disperse dyes allow such fine
lines that almost any rubber stamp designed for use on paper will work, if
your fabric is smooth enough. Look for a product called "Heat Set Ink" at
companies that sell rubber stamping supplies. Caroline Dahl's wonderful
book Transforming Fabric gives source information for this material, in
addition to many project ideas and beautiful inspiring photographs of works
made with disperse dye on polyester.

PROPERTIES OF DISPERSE DYE:

Fastness to light is generally quite good, while fastness to washing is highly
dependent on the fibre. In particular, in polyamides and acrylics they are
used mostly for pastel shades because in dark shades they have limited
build-up properties and poor wash fastness.
Chemical characteristics and general application
conditions
Disperse dyes are characterised by the absence of solubilising groups and
low molecular weight. From a chemical point of view more than 50 % of
disperse dyes are simple azo compounds, about 25 % are anthraquinones and
the rest are methine, nitro and naphthoquinone dyes.

The dye-fibre affinity is the result of different types of interactions:

· hydrogen bonds

· dipole-dipole interactions

· Van der Waals forces.

Disperse dyes have hydrogen atoms in their molecule, which are capable of
forming hydrogen bonds with oxygen and nitrogen atoms on the fibre.

Dipole-dipole interactions result from the asymmetrical structure of the dye

molecules, which makes possible electrostatic interactions between dipoles
on the dye molecules and polarised bonds on the fibre.

Van der Waals forces take effect when the molecules of the fibre and
colourant are aligned and close to each other. These forces are very
important in polyester fibres because they can take effect between the
aromatic groups of the fibre and those of the colourant.

Disperse dyes are supplied as powder and liquid products. Powder dyes
contain 40 - 60 % of dispersing agents, while in liquid formulations the
content of these substances is in the range of 10 - 30 %. Formaldehyde
condensation products and ligninsulphonates are widely used for this
purpose.
Dyeing with disperse dyes may require the use of the following
chemicals and auxiliaries:
· dispersants: although all disperse dyes already have a high content of
dispersants, they are further added to the dyeing liquor and in the final
washing step

· carriers: for some fibres, dyeing with disperse dyes at temperatures below
100 °C requires the use of carriers. This is the case with polyester, which
needs the assistance of carriers to enable an even penetration of disperse
dyes below boiling temperature. Because of environmental problems
associated with the use of these substances, polyester is preferably dyed
under pressure at temperature >100 °C without carriers. However, carrier
dyeing is still important for polyester-wool blends, as wool must not be
submitted to wet treatment at temperatures significantly above 100 °C

· thickeners: polyacrylates or alginates are usually added to the dye liquor in

padding processes. Their function is to prevent migration of the dye liquor
on the surface during drying

· reducing agents (mainly sodium hydrosulphite): they are added in solution

with alkali in the final washing step.

Disperse dyes are widely used not only for dyeing, but also for printing
synthetic fibres.
Environmental issues:
The environmental properties of disperse dyes are assessed under the
following parameters

Parameters of Comments
concern
Bio-eliminability Owing to their low water-solubility, they are largely
eliminated by absorption on activated sludge in the
waste water treatment plant
Organic halogens Some disperse dyes can contain organic halogens, but
(AOX) they are not expected to be found in the effluent after
waste water treatment (because they are easily
eliminated by absorption on the activated sludge) (see
also Section 2.7.8.1)
Toxicology The following disperse dyes potentially have an
allergenic effect: Disperse Red 1, 11, 17, 15; Disperse
Blue 1, 3, 7, 26, 35, 102, 124;

Disperse Orange 1, 3, 76; Disperse Yellow 1, 9, 39, 49,

54, 64.
Heavy metals
Aromatic amines These dyes are still offered by some Far East dealers and
manufacturers [294, ETAD, 2001]
Unfixed colourant Level of fixation is in the range of 88 - 99 % for
continuous dyeing and 91 - 99 % for printing
Effluent Conventional dispersants (formaldehyde condensation
contamination by compounds, lignosulphonates, etc.) are poorly
additives in the dye biodegradable (<30 % according to [186, Ullmann's,
formulation 2000], ca. 15 % according to [18, VITO, 1998]). Some
dyes are formulated with more readily eliminable
 dispersants (albeit not suitable for all formulations).

Classes of disperse dye:

Azo Disperse Dye:

The most important class of disperse dye is the azo class. This class of azo
disperse dyes may be further sub-divided into four groups, the most
numerous of which is the aminoazobenzene class. This class of dye can be
altered as mentioned before, to produce bathochromic shifts. A range of
heterocyclic aminoazobenzene dyes are also available. These give bright
dyes, and are bathochromically shifted to give blues. The third class of
disperse dye is based on heterocyclic coupling components, which produce
bright yellow dyes. The fourth class are disazo dyes. These tend to be quite
simple in structure. Other than these, there are disperse dyes of the carbonyl
class, and a few from the nitro and polymethine classes. Below is an
example of a disperse dye2
Anthraquinone Disperse Dye:
Anthraquinone disperse dyes lack the water-solubilizing groups of the acid dyes, but they
are adsorbed by hydrophobic fibres such as nylon or acetate rayon with the aid of soap or
other agents that keep the dye suspended in the application bath.

In the synthetic dye field, many hundreds of individual products are manufactured. Of
these, a small number become established as market leaders in their particular area of
utility. Factors influencing the attainment of this status by a particular dye include hue,
brightness, ease of manufacture, dyeing properties and fastness properties. One dye that
has reached this position for the production of blue shades on polyester fibers is CI
Disperse Blue 56 which has a simple anthraquinone structure and is easily applied giving
bright blue colorations of high fastness.

Dyes of the anthraquinone series are noted for their brilliance of hue, especially in the
blue region, and also for their excellent fastness properties, especially fastness to light.
Unfortunately, they have relatively low tinctorial strength compared with all other major
classes of dye and they are costly to manufacture. The replacement of anthraquinone dyes
by other chromophores, because of their low cost-effectiveness, has been described by
Renfrew (Rev.Prog.Coloration, 15, 1985, 15) as "a commercially attractive but
technically difficult objective for dye manufacturers".

Thiocyanomethyl substituted anthraquinone disperse dyes

The present invention relates to disperse dyestuffs of the anthraquinone series which
contain at least one group of formula --Y--CH2 (SCN) where Y is a mono- or binuclear
aryl group, which dyestuffs are useful for dyeing or printing textile substrates consisting
of or comprising synthetic or semi-synthetic, hydrophobic high molecular weight organic
materials.

Light fastness:
The photofading behaviors of anthraquinone disperse dyes on polylactide fabrics were
investigated. The fabrics which had been dyed with 13 commercial dyes were exposed to
a carbon arc light source. The polylactide fabrics dyed with Disperse Red 127 or Violet
26, which have phenoxy substituents, showed the light fastness higher than 4 grade.

DISPERSE AND REACTIVE DYES IN

ONE BATH?

If we want to dye polyester/cotton blend in one bath(i.e. both the reactive

and disperse in the same bath instead of two bath) then the parameters we
need to consider besides what must be the properties of both the dyes to
withstand in one bath giving good results and fastenesses from pastal
shades to darker shades

The temperature and chemical requirements for the dye reaction of fiber
reactive dyes, versus the dye deposition of disperse dye, are so different that
the idea of combining both in one step seems bizarre. Disperse dye is
applied at a boil, using a chemical to reduce the temperature needed for dye
transfer, while reactive dyes, unlike direct dyes, are generally applied at
considerably lower temperatures, and may actually degrade quickly when
boiled.