Improvements in Dyeing Vegetable Fibre with Indigo.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Dyeing Vegetable Fibre with Indigo.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me by the Badische Anilin & Soda Fabrik, of Ludwigshafen-on-
Rhine, in the Empire of Germany) to be as follows:-
It is well known that the ordinary vegetable indigo of commerce (such as Bengal,
Java, Guatemala indigo, and the like) is not a pure uniform body. The quantities
of the actual colouring-matter, indigotine, contained therein, vary considerably
in different samples, and it is impossible without a difficult analysis to determine
with certainty the value of the indigo when buying, or the amount of actual
indigotine added to the vat when using the product. For these and other reasons
the use of a pure or refined indigo offers certain advantages as it is then always
possible to apply an indigo of a known standard composition. But, on the other
hand, my foreign correspondents have observed, that when using such refined
indigo, the shades obtained on cotton or linen goods and the like lose more colour
during the swilling operation than when ordinary vegetable indigo is used. On
swilling the goods dyed with pure indigo more of the colouring matter is washed
off than is the case when similarly treating goods dyed with ordinary crude
vegetable indigo.
It appears therefore that crude indigo contains some body or bodies which may
be said to act like a mordant in that the attachment of the indigo to the vegetable
fibre is assisted thereby.
My foreign correspondents have found that the body discovered by Berzelius
in crude indigo and called indigo-glue is such a body. If indigo-glue be added
to an indigo vat prepared with pure indigo the dyeings obtained resist the swilling
operation better than those resulting when the indigo alone is used.
The present invention relates to the use of bodies which are capable of replacing
the indigo-glue or other mordant-like ingredient of vegetable indigo.
My foreign correspondents have found that a large number of bodies can be used
for this purpose and some of these are equal and even superior in their effect to
the bodies contained in crude vegetable indigo, so that it is often advantageous to
make use of this invention even when dyeing with ordinary indigo. The effect
of these bodies is not merely to increase the affinity of fibre and colouring matter
but in many cases more beautiful pure reddish tinged shades are obtained. The
effect shews itself more particularly when the hydro-sulphite vat is used.
As instances of the bodies which can be employed, I mention, proteid bodies,
albumen, casein, various kinds of gelatine and gelatinous bodies, glues, such as
bone glue, hides glue and fish glue, silk gum and similar bodies. Further my
foreign correspondents have found that a number of bodies which it is impossible
to include under one class name can be used, such as Turkey red oil, British gum,
starch, soap and resin soap.

page_text: From the instances given it will be seen that a large number of bodies of very
varied classes can be employed, and the invention is not restricted to the use of
the bodies mentioned as instances nor is it restricted to the conditions as set forth
in the examples hereinafter given.
The bodies can be used in a variety of ways, they may for instance be added in
solution to the vat, or the goods to be dyed may be previously impregnated with
them. Again the goods may be impregnated with such a body as gives a pre-
cipitate with the protein body in alkaline solution and the protein body is added
to the vat.
"
The following exammles further illustrate the nature of this invention.
Improvements in Dyeing Vegetable Fibre with Indigo.
2015
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
inunicated to me from abroad by the Badische Anilin & Soda Fabrik, of Ludwig-
shafen on-Rhine, in the Empire of Germany) and in what manner the same is to
be performed 'to be' particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
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17°
It is well known that the ordinary vegetable indigo of commerce (such as Bengal, 4
Java, and Guatemala indigo, and the like) is not a pure uniform body: The quan-
tities of the actual colouring-matter, indigotine, contained' therein, vary considerably
in different samples, and it is impossible, without a difficult analysis, to determine
with certainty the value of the indigo when buying, or the amount of actual
indigotine added to the vat when using, the product. For these, and other, reason's
-34.

page_text: the use of a pure, or refined, indigo offers certain advantages, as it is then always
possible to apply an indigo of a known standard composition. But on the other
hand, my foreign correspondents have observed, that when using such pure, or
refined, indigo, the shades obtained on cotton, or linen, goods, and the like, during
the swilling operation lose more colour than is lost when ordinary vegetable indigo
is used. On swilling the goods dyed with pure, or refined, indigo more of the
colouring-matter is washed off than the case when similarly treating goods dyed
with ordinary crude vegetable indigo."
"
It appears therefore that crude indigo contains some body, or bodies, which may
be said to act like a mordant, in that the attachment of the indigo to the vegetable
fibre is assisted thereby.
'My foreign correspondents have found that the body discovered by Berzelius
in crude indigo, and called indigo-glue, is such a body, and that if'indigo-glue be
added to an indigo-vat prepared with pure, or refined, indigo the dyeings obtained
resist the swilling operation better than do those resulting when the pure, or
refined, indigo alone is used.
The present invention consists in the use of bodies which are capable of replacing
the indigo-glue, or other mordant-like ingredient, of vegetable indigo, and which
I will refer to as "indigo-glue substitutes."
'
'
L
My foreign correspondents have found that a large number of bodies can be used
for this purpose, and some of these are equal, and even superior in their effect, to
the bodies contained in crude vegetable indigo, so that it is often advantageous to
make use of 'this invention even when dyeing with ordinary indigo. The effect
of these bodies is not merely to increase the affinity between the fibre and the
colouring-matter, but, in many cases, more beautiful pure shades of reddish tinge
are obtained. The vat referred to is other than the fermentation vat 'the desired
effect shewing itself more particularly when the hydro-sulphite, or the zinc-lime,
or the sulphate of iron-lime vat, (hereinafter referred to as "the vat,") is used.
The following are the bodies which my foreign correspondents have discovered
are suitable for use as indigo-glue substitutes, according to this invention, namely:
proteid bodies, albumen, casein, various kinds of gelatine and gelatinous bodies,
glues such as bone-glue, hide-glue and fish-glue, silk-gum and similar bodies and
also Turkey-red oil, British gum, starch, soap, and resin soap.
..:.
The said bodies can be used in a variety of ways; for instance they may be
added in solution to the vat, or the goods to be dyed may be previously impregnated
with them. Again the goods may be impregnated with such a body as gives a
precipitate with the protein body in alkaline solution, and the protein body be
added to the vat.
The said indigo-glue substitutes can be mixed with the indigo, and the new
composition of matter so obtained be sold and used without firther trouble."
The following examples will serve to further illustrate the nature of this inven-
tion, and the manner in which it may 'be'"' performed.
27740 +
1
EXAMPLE 3.
Treat the goods to be dyed with a half per cent. solution of tannin. To the
indigo-yat add one part by weight of glue to five parts by weight of pure, or refined,
indigo. Dye the tannined goods from this vat in the usual way.

page_text: PAAN T
Substitute for the casein in Example 1, three hundred grams of Marseilles soap
and proceed as aforesaid.
EXAMPLE 5.
Prepare the goods with Turkey-red oil in a one per cent. solution to which
a little caustic soda is added, to render it clear. Then dye these prepared goods
in the ordinary way.
EXAMPLE 6.
Mix together one hundred parts by weight of indigo-powder with twenty-five
parts by weight of powdered bone glue.
This will constitute a new composition of matter suitable for sale as aforesaid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The process of dyeing vegetable fibre with indigo from the vat hereinbefore
defined, in the presence of what I have herein before termed an indigo-glue sub-
stitute, substantially as herein before described.
2. The improvement in dyeing vegetable fibre with indigo from the vat herein-
before defined, consisting in adding what I have herein before termed an indigo-
glue substitute to the vat whilst dyeing, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The process of dyeing vegetable fibre with indigo by impregnating the fibro
with what I have herein before termed an indigo-glue substitute and then dyeing
from the vat herein before defined, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The process of dyeing vegetable fibre with indigo by impregnating the fibre
with a
body which yields a precipitate with what I have herein before termed an
indigo-glue, substitute in alkaline solution, and then dyeing the fibre from the vat
herein before defined, containing the said indigo-glue substitute, substantially as
herein before described.
5. The composition of matter consisting of a mixture of indigo and what I have
herein before termed an indigo-glue substitute as herein before defined.
6. As a new composition of matter, a dyestuff consisting of refined or pure or
practically pure indigo and what I have herein before termed an indigo-glue sub-
stitute, substantially as described.
7. The dyeing of vegetable fibre with indigo in the manners herein before
described in the examples.
Doted this 24th day of February 1808
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.