Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

Gerd Konig

Hartmut Springer

Fritz Meininger

Peter Mischke

Process for dyeing cellulose fibers or cellulose blend fibers, which comprises dyeing the fibers mentioned with water-soluble reactive dyes which contain in the dye molecule at least once the structural element of the formula ##STR1## in which Y denotes a hydroxyl, hydroxymethyl, alkoxy C.sub.1 -C.sub.4, aldehyde, carboxamide, monoalkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -carboxamide, dialkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -carboxamide, monophenyl carboxamide, cyano, alkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -oxycarbonyl or sulfo group or a halogen atom, in an aqueous medium within the pH range 4-11.

Process for dyeing or printing cellulose fibers or cellulose blend

Compounds of the general formula (1) ##STR1## in which the Zs, preferably identical to each other, each denote a hydroxy group or a sulfato, thiosulfato or phosphato group. They can be prepared by first converting biphenyl by sulfochlorination into biphenyl-4,4'-disulfochloride, then reducing the latter with an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal sulfite or hydrogensulfite to sulfinic acid, and in turn reacting the latter with ethylene oxide to give 4,4'-bis-(.beta.-hydroxyethylsulfonyl)-biphenyl, which can be esterified in conventional manner. They are used for modifying and improving the physical and coloristic properties of materials made of natural and/or synthetic polyamide fibers and/or polyurethane fibers and as auxiliaries in dyeing processes for such fiber materials.

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Hofheim am Taunus, Germany

Gerd Konig