LMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING, PRINTING, AND MARKING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "LMPROVEMENTS IN
DYEING, PRINTING, AND MARKING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS."
A communication from abroad by Adolphus Baeyer, Doctor of Philosophy
and Professor of Chemistry in the University of Munich, in the Empire of
Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th April 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING, PRINTING, AND ALARKING TEXTILE
FABRICS AND MATERIALS." A communication from abroad by Adolphus Baeyer,
Doctor of Philosophy and Professor of Chemistry in the University of Munich, in
the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to the dyeing, printing, and marking of textile fabrics
and materials with artificial indigo blue and allied coloring matters by the appli-
cation of certain chemical processes named or described in the Specification to
former Letters Patent granted to me for "Improvements in Preparing Colouring
Matters Suitable for Dyeing and Printing, and in Materials Used in the Manu-
facture of the same," dated the 18th of March 1880, No. 1177. The said chemical
processes consist amongst others principally in the action of heat upon orthonitro-
phenyloxyacrylic acid and in the action of alkaline substances and reducing agents
upon the dibrominated compound of orthonitro cinnamic acid and upon orthonitro-
phenyl propiolic acid, or upon the homologues and substitution compounds of tho
said derivatives of orthonitro-cinnamic acid. Now I have discovered that the
same or similar synthetical formation of indigo blue and allied colouring matters
may be established within the fibre of textile fabrics and materials by first
impregnating, printing, or marking the same with mixtures of derivatives of
orthonitro cinnamic acid or their homologue and substitution compounds with
substances capable of effecting their change into indigo blue and allied coloring

page_text: matters, and by afterwards developing the said colouring matters by means sub-
stantially set forth and described in the Specification to my before mentioned
former Letters Patent. For example, I prepare a mixture of orthonitro phenyl-
propiolic acid with alkaline substances, such, for instance, as a solution of
carbonate of soda, and with reducing or deoxydising agents, such, for instance, as
glucose or milk sugar, and the mixture thus prepared may be thickened with gum
or any other suitable thickening substance, and may be used for printing and
marking purposes; or the above mixture may be left without any thickening, and
be employed for impregnating or padding textile fabrics and materials. In order
to develope the colour within the fibre the said fabrics and materials are then
submitted to the action of dry or moist heat, such, for instance, as to a contact with
a heated surface, or to a passage through an atmosphere of steam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
October 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING, PRINTING, AND MARKING TEXTILE
FABRICS AND MATERIALS." A communication from abroad by Adolphus Baoyer,
Doctor of Philosophy and Professor of Chemistry in the University of Munich, in
the Empire of Germany.
The said Invention relates to the dyeing, printing, and marking of textile
fabrics and materials with artificial indigo blue and allied colouring matters by
the application of certain chemical processes named or described in the Specifi-
cation to former Letters Patent granted to me for "Improvements in Preparing
Colouring Matters suitable for Dyeing and Printing, and in Materials Used in
the Manufacture of the same," dated the 18th of March 1880, No. 1177.
The said chemical processes consist amongst others principally in the action of
heat upon orthonitro-phenyloxyacrylic acid and in the action of alkaline substances
and reducing agents upon the dibrominated compound of orthonitro cinnamic acid
and upon orthonitrophenylpropiolic acid, or upon the homologues and substitution
compounds of the said derivatives of orthonitro-cinnamic acid.
Now my foreign correspondent has discovered that the same or similar synthe-
tical formation of indigo blue and allied colouring matters may be established
within the fibre of textile fabrics and materials by first impregnating, printing, or
marking the same with mixtures of derivatives of orthonitro cinnamic acid or their
homologues and substitution compounds with substances capable of effecting their
change into indigo blue and allied colouring matters, and by afterwards developing
the said colouring matters by means substantially set forth and described in the
Specification to my before mentioned former Letters Patent. In practice the best
results have been obtained by employing the chemical process which consists in
the action of reducing or deoxydising agents, such as glucose or similar bodies
upon orthonitro phenylpropiolic acid in the presence of caustic or carbonated
alkalies or of alkaline earths.
In carrying out the said Invention I prepare a mixture of orthonitro-phenyl-
propiolic acid with fixed caustic or carbonated alkalies, or with alkaline earths and
with reducing or deoxydising agents, such, for instance, as glucose or milk sugar,
and with an amount of water proportionate to the depth of colour required. The
mixture thus prepared may then bo thickened with gum or any other suitable
thickening substance, and may be used for printing and marking purposes; or the
above mixture may be left without any thickening substance, and be employed for
impregnating or padding textile fabrics and materials. In order to develope the
colour within the fibre the said fabrics and materials are then submitted to the
action of dry or moist heat, such, for instance, as to a contact with a heated surface
or to a passage through an atmosphere of steam.
As an example of the manner in which I prefer to prepare a steam colour for
printing purposes, and which may be employed for producing a medium shade of
artificial indigo blue upon the fibre of cotton, linen, or similar vegetable materials,
I mix about one part by weight of orthonitro-phenylpropiolic acid with about one
part by weight of cold water, and I then gradually add about one part by weight
or so much of a caustic potash solution containing about thirty per cent. of hydrate
of potassium as will be sufficient to dissolve and to neutralize the orthonitro
phenylpropiolic acid. The solution thus obtained is then mixed with about ten
parts by weight of starch paste and afterwards about three parts by weight of
carbonate of potash, and about one half part by weight of glucose or grape sugar
are dissolved in the colour thus prepared. In order to obtain a bright shade of

page_text: artificial indigo blue upon the fabrics or materials printed with the said steam
colour it has been found useful to developo the colouring matter by means of a
short passage, say, from two to five minutes duration through an atmosphere of
steam without pressure, and to discontinuo the steaming operation as soon as the
reduction of the artificial indigo blue thus formed begins to set in. The fabrics
and materials thus printed and steamed are afterwards aged and washed in tho
usual manner, and the blue colour thereupon produced may be further improved in
brightness by a passage through a boiling soap batlı.
As an example of preparing a marking ink or a colour suitable for marking
purposes I mix about one part by weight of orthonitro-phenylpropiolic acid with
about ten parts by weight of gum water, and I then gradually add about two parts
by weight of carbonate of soda and about one part by weight of milk sugar. If a
blue colour be intended to be produced by the application of the above marking
ink the colour is to be developed by the action of steam as before described, but in
case a darker shade should be preferred the textile fabrics and materials after being
marked with the above marking ink may bo passed over with a hot iron or
otherwise submitted to the action of dry heat, when the resulting colour will be
found to approach more nearly to a black the higher the temperature has been
which was employed in the said action.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details
above described, as the proportions, weights, ingredients, processes, and so forth
may be varied to a large extent without deviating from the principle of the said
Invention, but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as
the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
The synthetical or artificial formation of indigo blue and allied colouring matters
within the fibre of textile fabrics and materials by first impregnating, printing, or
marking the same with mixtures containing orthonitro-phenylpropiolic acid and
reducing or deoxydising agents, such as glucose or milk sugar, and fixed caustic or
carbonated alkalies or alkaline earths, and by afterwards developing the said
colouring matters by the action of dry or moist heat, substantially as herein before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and seal, the Twenty ninth day of October, Onc
thousand sight hundred and eighty
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)