IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND PREPARING COLORING MATTER FOR PRINTING, DYEING, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Johannes Möller, of No. 8, Shaftesbury Villas,
Hornsey Rise, Islington, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND PREPARING COLORING
Sealed the 14th December 1866, and dated the 20th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Johannes Möller at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
June 1866.
I, JOHANNES MÖLLER, of No. 8, Shaftesbury Villas, Hornsey Rise, Islington,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND PREPARING COLORING
MATTER FOR PRINTING, DYEING, AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in obtaining and preparing
coloring matter for printing, dyeing, and other purposes.
In order to obtain a coloring material from madder root, munjeet, or other
roots and plants of the same specics, and also products from such substances
known as garancine, garanceux, flower of madder, spent madder, or by other
names, I boil the roots or the above-named substances for a time in water,
and after they are drained and pressed I subject them to a portion of strong
acid while still hot; I then pour on the material plenty of cold water, by
which treatment the lime and other substances which before prevented to a

page_text: great extent the color from leaving the roots or materials is caused to fall
out or separate from them. If the material so treated is to be used for dyeing
purposes I add to it a quantity of alkali or alkaline salts, using, by preference,
carbonate or caustic potash, or lime combined with either of these materials.
If I desire to extract the coloring matter I boil the material, after it has been
dried or nearly so, in any suitable substance which will dissolve alizarine, as
for example, petroleum, naptha, or other spirit, in order to extract all the
coloring matter which the material may contain. From this, when quite cold,
I extract the color by means of a cold and weak alkaline solution, using
caustic potash or milk of lime, or both combined together. I precipitate, if
necessary, out of this alkaline solution the color by means of an acid and
wash the color or precipitate with cold water. If it be desired to obtain a
fast color I then prefer to prepare this so extracted color with caustic
potash or any suitable alkali or alkaline salt, or with lime, or with a com-
bination of these substances, in order to produce a fast color suitable for
'printing, dyeing, and writing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Johannes Möller in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHANNES
MÖLLER, of No. 8, Shaftesbury Villas, Hornsey Rise, Islington, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters'
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Johannes Möller, Her special licence that I, the said Johannes Möller, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Johannes
Möller, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agroe
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING AND PREPARING COLORING MATTER FOR PRINTING, DYEING, AND OTHER
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Johannes
Möller, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Johannes Möller, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in obtaining and preparing
coloring matter for printing, dyeing, and other purposes.
In order to obtain a coloring material from madder root, munjeet, or other
roots and plants of the same species, and also products from such substances
known as garancine, garanceux, flower of madder, spent madder, or by other
names, I boil the roots or other substances (after they have been coarsely
ground) in water for from one to two hours; if the water be hard or contain
sulphate of lime then I soften it by the addition of a small quantity of alkali.
After boiling I throw the roots or other matter on to a filter and wash with
hot water, and afterwards press the roots or other matter to remove the water
contained in them. After this, whilst the material is still warm, or it may be
after it has become cold, I mix it thoroughly in a suitable vessel by stirring
with from 40 to 65 per cent. of its own weight of suitable strong acid, pre-
ferring strong sulphuric acid of commerce, to dissolve out the lime and other
bases. After it has been in contact with the acid for about an hour I pour
on and stir it in plenty of cold water. By this means the lime and other
bases (which before prevented to a great extent the coloring matters from
leaving the roots or materials) are dissolved, washed out, and deposited.
After the water has remained standing on the material for some hours I draw
it off at the top of the vessel and again pour on fresh water and draw it off
after allowing it to stand for some hours, and this is repeated until the roots
or material are freed from the acid, or the material may be thrown on to a
filter and washed with cold water to free it from the acid, or the last traces
of acid may be neutralized with an alkali. If the material so prepared is to be
used for dyeing purposes I mix with it while wet from one to two per cent. of an
alkali to make the color faster, preferring carbonate of potash or caustic potash;
the material is then dried and is ready for use. The liquid filtered off from the
boiled roots or material contains a quantity of coloring matter, to obtain which
I first add to the liquid whilst still warm, or it may be when cold, from 1 to 5
per cent. of acid, preferring sulphuric acid, in order to precipitate a coloring

page_text: matter called purpurine, which I separate on a filter and wash with cold
water. The filtered off liquid, which contains a quantity of alizarine, I shake
strongly with a quantity of petroleum or naptha, or other substance with
which alizarine will combine. I, however, prefer to employ petroleum. In
this way I extract the alizarine into the petroleum; this petroleum may then
be used to extract alizarine from madder root or material as herein-after
described.
To obtain the alizarine from roots or materials treated as above described
I boil the roots or materials in petroleum or other substance that will dissolve
alizarine for about half an hour. After boiling the petroleum is decanted off
and the roots or material may be again and again boiled in a fresh quantity
of petroleum until all the alizarine be extracted. After the petroleum has
been decanted off the roots it is allowed to cool, and as it cools a considerable
quantity of alizarine will fall out or be deposited and may be collected on a
filter; petroleum remaining in the precipitate may be evaporated or carried
off by a current of air or by heat, or in some cases the precipitate may be left
in a moist state. The alizarine remaining in the petroleum may be left and
the petroleum be again used for boiling with fresh quantities of madder root
or material treated as above described; or in place of again using the petro-
leum without previously extracting all the alizarine therefrom I extract the
alizarine in the following manner:-When the petroleum is quite cold I shake
it strongly with a cold weak solution (in water) of a caustic alkali, using
caustic potash by preference; by this means the alizarine will be taken up by
the caustic solution and a somewhat emulsive solution be produced, which
I neutralize with a little diluted sulphuric acid and wash it upon a filter with
cold water; any petroleum which may remain in the precipitate may be
evaporated or carried off by a current of air or by heat. This alizarine may
be used for dyeing, or printing, or other purposes.
To obtain a fast color I mix the alizarine with a quantity of an alkali or
alkaline salts, preferring carbonate of potash or caustic potash, or I may usc
some lime in combination with alkali or alkaline salt, or it may be used
neutral, in which case the alkali or alkaline salt is dissolved and mixed with
1.he mordant, or is mixed with the dye bath in which the alizarine is used; or
the alizarine in printing may be mixed with an alkaline and thickened mordant,
or may be mixed with an alkaline thickening and printed on a mordant; when
used for printing it is afterwards steamed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,―
First. The separating lime and other bases from madder root (or roots or

page_text: plants of the same species or products from the same) by first boiling the root
or material with water, afterwards mixing it with an acid, and subsequently
washing with water, as described.
I also claim the afterwards extracting alizarine from the roots or materials
(treated as above described) by boiling them with petroleum, naptha (or other
spirit or oil capable of dissolving alizarine), as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Johannes Möller, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOHANNES MÖLLER. (L.S.)