OVERVIEW

In Chapters 3 6, the commercially important chemical classes of dyes and pigments are discussed in terms of their essential structural features and the principles of their synthesis. The reader will encounter further examples of these individual chemical classes of colorants throughout Chapters 7 10 which, as a complement to the content of the earlier chapters, deal with the chemistry of their application. Chapters 7, 8 and 10 are concerned essentially with the application of dyes, whereas Chapter 9 is devoted to pigments. The distinction between these two types of colorants has been made previously in Chapter 2. Dyes are used in the coloration of a wide range of substrates, including paper, leather and plastics, but by far their most important outlet is on textiles. Textile materials are used in a wide variety of products, including clothing of all types, curtains, upholstery and carpets. This chapter deals with the chemical principles of the main application classes of dyes that may be applied to textile fibres, except for reactive dyes, which are dealt with exclusively in Chapter 8.

Textile fibres may be classified into three broad groups: natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic. Unlike dyes and pigments, which are now almost entirely synthetic in origin, natural fibres continue to play a prominent part in textile applications. The most important natural fibres are either of animal origin, for example the protein fibres, wool and silk, or of vegetable origin, such as cotton, which is a cellulosic fibre. The only significant semi-synthetic fibres used today are...