Polycyclic dyes

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a polycyclic dye of Formula I: by reacting a phenyltartronic acid of Formula II: wherein W is - NR¹R² or - OR³; R³ is H or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl or aralkyl group; R¹ & R² are each independently H or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl or aryl group; or R¹ & R² together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring; or R¹ or R² together with the nitrogen atom and the adjacent carbon atom of Ring B form a heterocyclic ring; and Ring B is unsubstituted, apart from the group W, or is substituted by one or two further groups; with either (a) a compound of Formula III: wherein, Z¹ & Z² are each independently - O -, - S - or - NY - in which Y is H, an optionally-substituted hydrocarbon group or an acyl group; X¹ & X² are each independently selected from H, halogen, cyano, alkyl, aryl, carbamoyl, sulphamoyl, COOH and carboxylic acid ester; & Ring A is unsubstituted or is substituted by from one to three groups; or (b) a compound of Formula IV: wherein Z¹, Z², X¹ and X² are as hereinbefore defined; and oxidation of the intermediate compound to dehydrogenate the peripheral heterocyclic rings. The invention also comprises a product of the aforementioned process which is suitable for the colouration of polyester textile material in shades from green through to reddish-blue of the formula: wherein: X¹ & X² each independently is H, cyano, alkyl, aryl, carbamoyl, sulphamoyl, COOH or carboxylic acid ester; Z¹ & Z² each independently is - O -, - S - or - NY - in which Y is H, an optionally-substituted hydrocarbon group or an acyl group; R¹ & R² each independently is H or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or aralkyl group; or R¹ & R² together with the N atom to which they are attached, form a heterocycle; R⁴ & R⁵ each independently is H, halogen or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl or alkoxy group; or R¹ & R⁴ together with the N atom and the two carbon atoms in Ring B to which they are attached form a heterocycle fused to Ring B; or R² & R⁵ together with the N atom and the two carbon atoms in Ring B to which they are attached form a heterocycle fused to Ring B; R⁶ is H, halogen, an optionally substituted alkyl or alkoxy group or a group NR¹R² in which each of R¹ and R² independently is as hereinbefore defined; R⁷ & R⁸ each independently is H, halogen or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl or alkoxy group; or R¹ & R⁷ together with the N atom and the two carbon atoms in Ring A to which they are attached form a heterocycle fused to Ring A; or R² & R⁸ together with the N atom and the two carbon atoms in Ring A to which they are attached form a heterocycle fused to Ring A; and where R⁶ is NR¹R², this may be the same as or different from the NR¹R² group present in Ring B.

Description: This specification describes an invention relating to a process for the preparation of certain polycyclic dyes. EP-A-0252406 provides a process for the preparation of polycyclic dyes where an α-keto acid or derivative is reacted with a benzofuranone. 3-Phenyl-7-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b; 4:5-b']-difuran is also disclosed. EP-A-0033583 discloses asymmetric polycyclic dyes, processes for their preparation and their use in the coloration of synthetic textile materials. FR-A-2343784 discloses symmetric polycyclic dyes and their use in the coloration of synthetic textile materials. According to the present invention there is provided a process for the preparation of a polycyclic dye of the Formula I: by reacting a phenyltartronic acid of Formula II: wherein W is - NR¹R² or - OR³; R³ is H or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl or aralkyl group; R¹ & R² each independently is H, or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl or aryl group; or R¹ & R² together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring; or R¹ & R² together with the nitrogen atom and the adjacent carbon atom of Ring B form a heterocyclic ring; and Ring B is unsubstituted, apart from the group W, or is substituted by one or two further groups; with a compound of the Formula III: wherein, Z¹ & Z² each independently is - O -, - S - or - NY - in which Y is H, an optionally-substituted hydrocarbon group or an acyl group; X¹ & X² each independently is H, halogen, cyano, alkyl, aryl, carbamoyl, sulphamoyl, COOH or carboxylic acid ester; & Ring A is unsubstituted or is substituted by from one to three groups. The optionally substituted hydrocarbon group represented by Y is preferably C₁₋₈-alkyl, and more preferably C₁₋₄-alkyl, or monocyclic aryl, more preferably phenyl. The acyl group represented by Y is preferably C₁₋₄-alkyl- or monocyclic-aryl-carbonyl or -sulphonyl which may be substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxy, halogen, nitro, C₁₋₄-alkyl and C₁₋₄-alkoxy. Examples of the optionally substituted hydrocarbon groups represented by Y are alkyl and preferably C₁₋₄-alkyl, such as methyl, ethyl, n -propyl and iso-propyl; substituted alkyl, preferably substituted C₁₋₄-alkyl, such as beta-hydroxyethyl, beta-methoxyethyl and beta-ethoxyethyl; phenyl and substituted phenyl such as tolyl, chlorophenyl, nitrophenyl and C₁₋₄-alkoxyphenyl. Examples of the acyl groups represented by Y are acetyl, propionyl, n -butyryl, iso-butyryl, benzoyl and nitrobenzoyl, chlorobenzoyl, methylbenzoyl, methoxybenzoyl and hydroxybenzoyl. The aryl group represented by X¹ or X² is preferably mono-homocyclic aryl, that is phenyl and substituted phenyl. The C₁₋₄-alkyl and alkoxy groups represented by X¹ or X² may also be substituted and suitable substituents for these and the aryl group are hydroxy, halogen, nitro, C₁₋₄-alkyl and C₁₋₄-alkoxy. The halogen represented by X¹ or X² is preferably chlorine or bromine. The carbamoyl and sulphamoyl groups represented by X¹ or X² are preferably of the formula - CONL¹L² or - SO₂NL¹L² wherein L¹ and L² are each independently hydrogen, C₁₋₄-alkyl or monocyclic aryl, preferably phenyl. The carboxylic acid ester groups represented by X¹ and X² are preferably of the formula - COOL³ wherein L³ is optionally substituted alkyl, especially C₁₋₄-alkyl, or monocyclic aryl, especially phenyl, in which the substituents are as defined above. When any of R¹ to R³ is alkyl or alkenyl it preferably contains up to 20, more preferably up to 10 carbon atoms and especially up to 4, carbon atoms, with a preferred minimum of 3 carbon atoms for alkenyl groups); when cycloalkyl it is preferably C₄₋₈-cycloalkyl, such as cyclohexyl; and when aryl or aralkyl, the aryl is preferably monohomocyclic aryl, i.e. phenyl, and the aralkyl is preferably phenyl-C₁₋₄-alkylene, such as benzyl and phenylethyl. Where the groups represented by R¹ to R³ are substituted, examples of preferred substituents are alkyl, alkoxy, nitro, halogen, alkoxyalkoxy, cyclohexyl, phenyl, diphenyl, hydroxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxyalkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyloxy, alkoxyalkoxycarbonyloxy, alkylcarbonyloxy, cyano and amino in which each alkyl is preferably C₁₋₄-alkyl. Where the groups represented by R¹ and R², together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a heterocyclic group this is preferably alicyclic, such as piperidino or morpholino. Where a group represented by R¹ or R² together with the nitrogen atom to which it is attached and an adjacent carbon atom of Ring B or Ring A form a heterocyclic group fused to Ring B or Ring A respectively, this is preferably a 6-membered heteroaliphatic ring, i.e. R¹ or R² is trimethylene, and the combined fused rings preferably form a tetrahydroquinolyl group. It is preferred that the compound of Formula I is "unsymmetrical" by virtue of differences in the definitions of Z¹ and Z², X¹ and X² and/or Ring A and Ring B, because lack of symmetry generally gives rise to an improvement in dyeing performance, especially in build-up on the fibre. However, it is generally preferred that Z¹ and Z² are identical and X¹ and X² are identical and that the lack of symmetry arises from differences in Rings A and B. Where Ring A and Ring B are different, the difference preferably lies in the nature and/or the number of substituents carried by each ring. The difference lies preferably in the identity of the groups R¹ to R³ but may lie in the identity and/or the number of the substituents carried by the rings. Examples of further substituents for Ring B, in addition to the group W, are alkyl; alkenyl; alkoxy; alkoxyalkoxy; alkoxycarbonyalkoxy; alkoxyalkoxycarbonylalkoxy; alkylcarbonyloxyalkoxy; cyanoalkoxy, hydroxyalkoxy; halogen, especially chlorine or bromine; hydroxy; alkylthio; arylthio; aryloxy; alkylcarbonyl and alkylsulphonyl; and especially such groups in which the alkyl or alkenyl contains up to 4 carbon atoms and the aryl is phenyl. Examples of substituents for Ring A, in addition to those listed above for Ring B, are NR¹R², OR³ and NHacyl, especially NHCOC₁₋₄-alkyl and -NHSO₂C₁₋₄-alkyl. It is preferred that X¹ and X² are both hydrogen and also preferred that Z¹ and Z² are both oxygen. When both these pairs of groups are identical, the preferred asymmetry in the compound of Formula I is provided by differences in Rings A and B. By this is meant that there is either a different number or different pattern of substituents on each ring. The present process may be performed by heating the reactants in a melt but preferably in an acidic medium, preferably an organic acid, and especially an alkanecarboxylic acid such as acetic acid, propionic acid or butyric acid. It is preferred to perform the process in which W is OR³ in the presence of a strong acid catalyst, especially H₂SO₄. However, where W is NR¹R² such a catalyst is not generally required and is believed to have an adverse effect on the process. The process is preferably performed at a temperature from 50°C to 100°C, especially 70°C to 100°C, where a solvent is present, conveniently under reflux. Reaction is preferably continued until all the starting materials are consumed which can take up to 25 hours. Further reactions of the dyes in which any or all of R¹, R² and R³ are H with alkylating, arylating or acylating agents permits the preparation of a wide range of substituted hydroxy and amino (secondary and tertiary amino) groups. The final oxidation step may be effected by any convenient oxidising agent for dehydrogenating a carbon-carbon single bond, such as a persulphate or hydrogen peroxide. The compound of Formula III, in which Ring A also carries a group NR¹R² may be prepared by the reaction of an amino-mandelic acid (in which the amino group is protected, if necessary, by acylation) with a hydroquinone in accordance with the procedures described in GB 2,068,402A. A process for the preparation of a compound according to Formula III in which Ring A carries a group NR¹R² in the 4-position comprises reacting a mandelic acid of the Formula V: wherein A has the same meaning as in Formula I with a compound of the Formula VI: wherein X¹ and X² have the same meanings as in Formula I. It is preferred that, in Formula VI, X¹ and X² are both hydrogen. This reaction is conveniently performed in an acidic medium in the presence of a strong acid catalyst as described above for the preparation of the compound of Formula I but at a lower temperature in the range 40°C to 80°C especially from 49°C to 75°C. The present process is especially suitable for the preparation of compounds of Formula I in which: (a) Ring B carries a group, NR¹R², and both rings, optionally, carry one or more other substituents; or (b) Rings A and B both carry a group, NR¹R², which may be the same or different, and, optionally, one or more other substituents. Compounds of Formula I in which W is NR¹R², Ring B carries a methyl group adjacent to NR¹R² and Ring A is unsubstituted or substituted in the 4-position by an alkyl or alkoxy group give blue shades when applied to synthetic fibres, especially polyesters, by disperse dyeing processes, and build up well to give navy shades and such compounds form a feature of the present invention. The invention is further illustrated by the following examples in which all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated. Example 1 A mixture of 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran, 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methyl-phenyl-tartronic acid (as the dipotassium salt) and 50 ml of glacial acetic acid was stirred under reflux for 18 hours. At the end of this period 2.5g of ammonium=persulphate was added and heating continued for a further 1 hour. After cooling to ambient the precipitated solid was filtered, washed acid-free with water, then methanol, and dried. A mixture of 3.6g of this product in 110 ml of 70% sulphuric acid was heated at 95°C for 7 hours. After cooling, this mixture was drowned into 1 litre of water and the crude product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b′]-difuran, isolated by filtration. This was then extracted into pyridine, screened and the solvent removed under vacuum. The product dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution with an absorption maximum at 657 nm. When applied to polyester material from an aqueous dispersion it gave a bright mid-blue shade with excellent heat and wet fastness properties and it also built up well. The 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran used in this Example was prepared by stirring 21g of 4-acetylaminomandelic acid and 11g of hydroquinone in 95 ml of glacial acetic acid and 5 ml 100% sulphuric acid at 55°C for 21 hours, cooling to ambient and drowning into 1 litre of water. The precipitate was isolated by filtration, washed acid-free with water and dried. Example 2 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 3.2g of 4-N-ethylaminophenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-N-ethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b#MIN#]-difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 667 nm. When applied to polyester from an aqueous dispersion it gave a bright blue shade with very high heat fastness and excellent wash and perspiration fastness. Example 3 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid there were used 4.7g of 3-methyl-4-N-ethylaminophenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-amino-phenyl)-7-(3-methyl-4-N-ethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a greenish-blue solution having an absorption maximum at 672 nm. When applied to a polyester textile material from an aqueous dispersion it gave a greenish blue shade having good fastness to wet treatments and it built up well. Example 4 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid there were used 4.6g of 4-amino-3-methoxyphenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2b,4:5-b′]difuran. When applied to a polyester textile material from an aqueous dispersion it gave a greenish-blue shade with high heat fastness and very good perspiration and wash fastness. Example 5 The procedure described in Example 1 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid there were used 5.0g of 4-amino-3-chlorophenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-amino-3-chlorophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 645 nm. When applied to a polyester textile material from an aqueous dispersion it gave a reddish blue shade with good fastness to wet treatments. Example 6 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 3-amino-4-methylphenyltartronic acid there were used 5.4g of 4-beta-carboxyethylaminophenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-beta-carboxyethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b′]difuran. A portion of this product (1.3g) was esterified by stirring and boiling under reflux for 5 hours in a mixture of 75 ml of methanol and 7.5 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-beta-carbomethoxyethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b,4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 656 nm. When applied to polyester textile material from an aqueous dispersion it gave a bright blue shade with good fastness properties. Example 7 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.7g of 4-N-allylaminophenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-N-allylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 663nm. When applied to polyester from an aqueous dispersion it gave a bright blue shade with good build up and high fastness to heat and wash treatments. Example 8 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo- furan was replaced by 2.26g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydro- benzofuran to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 620nm. When applied to polyester from an aqueous dispersion it built up well to give a navy blue shades with good fastness to heat and wash treatments. Example 9 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo- furan was replaced by 3.0g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(3-methyl-4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran and the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid by 4.8g of 4-morpholinophenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-morpholinophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 655nm. When applied to polyester from an aqueous dispersion it gives bright blue shades with good heat fastness and wash treatments. The 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3(3-methyl-4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-hydrobenzofuran used in this Example was prepared by stirring 14g of 3-methyl-4-acetylaminomandelic acid with 6.9g of hydroquinone in 95ml of acetic acid and 5ml of 100% sulphuric acid at 80°C for 12 hours, cooling to ambient temperature and drowning into 1 litre of water. The precipitate was isolated by filtration, washed acid-free with water and dried. Example 10 The procedure of Example 9 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 4-morpholinophenyltartronic acid there was used 4.0g of 4-amino-3-ethylphenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-7-(3-ethyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 660nm. When applied to polyester from aqueous dispersions it gives bright blue shades with good fastness to heat and wash treatments. Example 11 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 3.9g of 4-N-isopropylamino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-isopropylamino-3-methylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 655nm. When applied to polyester from aqueous dispersions it gives bright blue shades with good wet fastness and good heat fastness. Example 12 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that in place of the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid there was used 3.5g of 4-N-sec-butylaminophenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-sec-butylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 676nm. When applied to polyester it gives blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 13 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 3.6g of 4-piperidinophenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-piperidinophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 664nm. When applied to polyester materials it gives blue shades with good fastness to heat and wet treatments. Example 14 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 3.6g of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolin-6-yltartronic acid. The product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolin-6-yl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 678nm. When applied to polyester materials from aqueous dispersions it gives blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 15 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 5.0g of 4-beta-hydroxyethyl-3-methylphenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-beta-hydroxyethylamino-3-methylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b']difuran. This dissolved in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 670nm. When applied to polyester materials from aqueous dispersions it gave blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 16 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.6g of 4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyltartronic acid to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b']difuran. It dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 662nm. When applied to polyester materials it gave blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 17 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo- furan was replaced by 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3(4-n-propoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran to give 3-(4-n-propoxyphenyl)-7-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b']difuran. It dissolves in pyridine to give a reddish-blue solution having an absorption maximum at 620nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 18 The procedure of Example 9 was repeated except that the 3.0g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3(3-methyl-4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran was replaced by 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran to give 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-morpholinophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]- difuran. This dissolves in ethylacetate to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 618nm. When applied to polyester materials it gives reddish-blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 19 1g of the product obtained from Example 18 was added to a mixture of 50ml of acrylic acid and 3.2ml water and the mixture stirred at 70-75°C for 3 hours. After cooling to ambient temperature, 85ml of water was added and the product isolated by filtration, washing with water and drying. It was then added to a mixture of 20ml of 2-ethoxyethanol and 1ml of 100% sulphuric acid and heated at 70-80°C for 4 hours. After cooling the mixture was added to water (200ml). The product 3-(4-(bis-[2-(2-ethoxyethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]aminophenyl)-7-(4-morpholinophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran isolated by filtration, washed with water and dried. It dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 665nm. When applied to polyester textile materials it gives blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 20 A mixture of 2.26g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran, 3.0g of 4-hydroxyphenyltartronic acid (as the dipotassium salt), 23.75ml of glacial acetic acid and 1.25ml of concentrated sulphuric acid was stirred under reflux for 12 hours. After the addition of 2.2g ammonium persulphate heating continued for 1 hour and cooled to ambient temperature. The cool mixture was added to 250 ml water and the product, 3-phenyl-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo]1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, isolated by filtration, washed successively with water and methanol and dried. A mixture of 1.6g of this product, 1.38g K₂CO₃ (anhyd), 2.2g ethoxyethyl bromoacetate and 25ml of sulpholane was stirred and heated at 110°C for 2 hours. The mixture was cooled to ambient temperature and added to 250ml of stirred water. The product, 3-phenyl-7(4-(ethoxyethoxycarbonylmethoxy)phenyl-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, was isolated by filtration, washed successively with water and methanol and dried. Example 21 The procedure of Example 20 is repeated except that the 2.26g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran was replaced by 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-n-propoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo- furan. The product, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-n-propoxyphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, was isolated as in Example 20. A mixture of 1.86g of this product, 1.38g K₂CO₃ (anhyd), 2.2g ethoxyethyl bromoacetate and 25ml of sulpholane was stirred and heated at 110°C for 2½ hours. After cooling to ambient temperature, the mixture was added to 250ml of water. The product, 3-(4-n-propoxyphenyl)-7-(4-(ethoxyethoxycarbonylmethoxy)phenyl-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, was isolated by filtration, washed successively with water and methanol and dried. When applied to polyester materials from aqueous dispersion it gives bright bluish-red shades with good build up, good heat and light fastness and good wet fastness. Example 22 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.8g of 4-amino-3-ethylphenyltartronic acid. The product, 3-(4-aminophenyl)-7-(4-amino-3-ethylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue shade having an absorption maximum at 657nm. When a 50/50 mixture of this product and that of Example 1 was applied to polyester materials from aqueous dispersions it gave bright blue shades with good build up and good heat and wet fastness. Example 23 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 2.84g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylaminophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzo- furan was replaced by 3.0g of 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(4-acetylamino-3-methylphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran. The product, 3,7-di-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran, dissolves in pyridine to give a blue solution having an absorption maximum at 660nm. When applied to polyester textile materials it gives bright blue shades with good heat fastness and good fastness to wash treatments. Example 24 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.4g of 4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 580nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 25 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.6g of 4-amino-3-ethylphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-ethyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 568nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 26 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.7g of 4-amino-3-n-propylphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-n-propyl-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 568nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 27 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 4.5g of 4-amino-3-methoxyphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-methoxy-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 600nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 28 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 5.3g of 4-amino-3-ethoxyphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-ethoxy-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 600nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 29 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 5.5g of 4-amino-3-n-propoxyphenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-n-propoxy-4-aminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo-[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 605nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. Example 30 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated except that the 4.8g of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid was replaced by 5.0g of 3-methyl-4-N-ethylaminophenyltartronic acid to give 3-phenyl-7-(3-methyl-4-N-ethylaminophenyl)-2,6-dioxo-2,6-dihydrobenzo[1:2-b, 4:5-b′]difuran. This dissolves in chloroform to give a reddish-blue shade having an absorption maximum at 620nm. When applied to polyester materials it builds up to give navy blue shades with good heat and wet fastness. The dyes identified in Tables 4 and 5 were prepared by the method of Example 1 using equivalent amounts of the substituted mandelic acid in place of the 4-acetylaminomandelic acid and of the substituted phenyl tartronic acid in place of 4-amino-3-methylphenyltartronic acid. In the case of the substituted mandelic acids in which R¹ and R² are H or R⁶ is NH₂, the amino group was protected with an acetyl group which was subsequently removed by acid hydrolysis as described in Example 1. In Table 4 the dyes correspond to Formula VII in which X¹, X², R⁵ and R⁸ are all H and Z¹ and Z² are both 0. In Table 4 and the subsequent tables: -NH-[CH]-pCH₃ = 4-methylcyclohexylamino- -[CH] = cyclohexyl -EtCOOEtOMe = -C₂H₄CO₂C₂H₄OCH₃ -EtCOOEt = -C₂H₄CO₂C₂H₅ -OEtOEt = -OC₂H₅OC₂H₅ Ph = phenyl -EtCOOMe = -C₂H₄CO₂CH₃ -OEtMe = -OC₂H₄OCH₃ -OEtOCOMe = -OC₂H₅OCOCH₃ In Table 5 the dyes correspond to Formula VII in which X¹, X², R⁵, R⁷ and R⁸ are all H and Z¹ and Z² are both O. Ex R⁶ R¹ R² R⁴ λmax/Shade 83 -OCH₃ -EtCOOMe -C₂H₄CN -H Reddish-blue 84 -OCH₃ -EtCOOMe -C₂H₄CO₂CH₃ -H Reddish-blue 85 -H -C₂H₅ -H -H 607 86 -OC₃H₇ -CH₃ -CH₃ -H Navy 87 -H -CH₃ -H -H Reddish-blue 88 -H -H -H -H Reddish-blue 89 -OC₃H₇ -EtCOOMe -C₂H₄CN -H Navy 90 -H -C₂H₅ -C₂H₄OH -H 647 91 -H -C₂H₅ -EtOCOMe -H Navy 92 -CH₃ -H -H -CH₃ Reddish-blue 93 -H -CH₃ -CH₃ -H Reddish-blue 94 -H -EtCOOEt -H -H Reddish-blue 95 -H -C₄H₉ -C₃H₆-Ph -H Navy Further dyes in accordance with Formula VII which can be made by the same process as the dyes in Tables 4 and 5 are shown in Tables 6, 7 and 8. In the dyes shown in Table 6 X¹, X², R⁵, R⁷ and R⁸ are all H and Z¹ and Z² are both O. Example R⁶ R⁴ R¹ R² 96 -H -Cl -H -H 97 -H -C₄H₉ -H -H 98 -H -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄OH 99 -H -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄CN 100 -H -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄Cl 101 -H -C₂H₅ -H -EtOCOMe 102 -H -C₂H₅ -H -EtCOOMe 103 -H -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄OCH₃ 104 -H -CH₃ -H -C₃H₆-Ph 105 -H -OC₄H₉ -H -H 106 -H -OEtOEt -H -H 107 -H -OEtOCOMe -H -H 108 -H -OC₂H₄CN -H -H 109 -H -OCH₃ -H -C₂H₄CN 110 -H -OCH₃ -H -EtOCOMe 111 -H -Br -H -C₂H₄OCH₃ 112 -CH₃ -CH₃ -H -H 113 -C₂H₅ -CH₃ -H -C₂H₅ 114 -Cl -CH₃ -H -C₃H₇ 115 -OCH₃ -H -H -H 116 -OC₄H₉ -H -H -H 117 -H -H -H -C₆H₁₃ 118 -H -CH₃ -H -C₆H₁₃ 119 -OCH₃ -H -H -C₈H₁₇ In the dyes shown in Table 7 X¹, X², R⁵ and R⁸ are all H and Z¹ and Z² are both O. Ex R⁶ R⁷ R⁴ R¹ R² 120 -NH₂ -Cl -CH₃ -H -C₂H₅ 121 -NH₂ -Br -H -H -H 122 -NH₂ -OEtOMe -H -C₂H₅ -C₂H₅ 123 -NH₂ -C₃H₇ -H -H -H 124 -NH₂ -C₂H₅ -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄CN 125 -OC₃H₇ -H -H -C₂H₄CN -EtCOOMe 126 -N(C₂H₅)₂ -H -H -EtCOOMe -EtCOOMe 127 -N(C₂H₄OH)₂ -CH₃ -H -C₂H₅ -C₃H₇ 128 -H -H -H -C₂H₅ -C₂H₅ 129 -CH₃ -H -H -C₂H₅ -C₂H₅OH 130 -OCH₃ -Cl -H -C₂H₅ -C₂H₅ 131 -N(C₂H₅)₂ -H -CH₃ -H -EtOCOMe 132 -NHC₂H₅ -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄OH -C₂H₅ 133 -NHC₂H₄OH -CH₃ -CH₃ -H -C₂H₄CN 134 -NH₂ -H -CH₃ -H -Ph 135 -NHC₂H 5Y -H -H -H 4-Cl-Ph- In the dyes shown in Table 8 X¹ and X² are both H and Z¹ and Z² are both O. Ex R⁷ R⁶ R⁸ R⁴ R⁵ R¹ R² 136 -H -NH₂ -H -CH₃ -C₂H₅ -H -H 137 -Cl -OC₃H₇ -Cl -H -H -H -H 138 -Cl -NH₂ -Cl -H -H -C₂H₅ -H 139 -H -H -H -C₂H₅ -H -H -H

Claims: A process for the preparation of a polycyclic dye of Formula I: by reacting a phenyltartronic acid of Formula II: wherein W is - NR¹R² or - OR³; R³ is H or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl or aralkyl group; R¹ & R² are each independently is H, or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl or aryl group; or R¹ & R² together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring; or R¹ or R² together with the nitrogen atom and the adjacent carbon atom of Ring B form a heterocyclic ring; and Ring B is unsubstituted, apart from the group W, or is substituted by one or two further groups; with a compound of Formula III: wherein, Z¹ & Z² are each independently - O -, - S - or - NY - in which Y is H, an optionally-substituted hydrocarbon group or an acyl group X¹ & X² are each independently selected from H, halogen, cyano, alkyl, aryl, carbamoyl, sulphamoyl, COOH and carboxylic acid ester; & Ring A is unsubstituted or is substituted by from one to three groups.

Inventors: KENYON RONALD WYNFORD, NEWTON DAVID FRANCIS, THORP DEREK, KENYON, RONALD WYNFORD, NEWTON, DAVID FRANCIS, THORP, DEREK
Applicants: ZENECA LTD, ZENECA LIMITED
Application year: 1989
Main classification: C09B57
IPC codes: C09B57, C07D491, C07D493, C07D487, C07D495