Concentrated direct dye solution and process therefor

Claim 2

A concentrated dye solution comprising per 100 parts by weight thereof, 54-55 parts of water, 17-18 parts of process salts, 15-16 parts of urea and 12-13 parts of a dye having the formula: ##STR3## where Me is an alkali metal and R is H, --CH 3 or --C 2 H 5 .

Claim 3

A dye solution of claim 1 where R is H.

Claim 4

A method for the preparation in situ of a dye solution according to claim 1 comprising the steps of: a. diazotizing an amine of the formula: ##STR4## where R is H, --CH 3 or --C 2 H 5 in the minimum amount of water necessary to achieve a readily stirrable mixture and provide a stirrable slurry of the diazotized amine, b. forming a slurry of 1-hydroxy-6-aminonaphthalene-3-sulfonic acid and soda ash in the minimum amount of water necessary to achieve a stirrable slurry at room temperature, said slurry comprising 1/4 of the amount of 1-hydroxy-6-aminonaphthalene-3-sulfonic acid and 1/2 the amount of sode ash required to couple with the diazotized amine formed in (a), c. stirring the slurry from step (b) and adding thereto 1/4 of the diazotized amine slurry from step (a), then an additional 1/4 of the 1-hydroxy-6-aminonaphthalene-3-sulfonic acid and then an additional 1/4 of the diazotized amine slurry from step (a), d. adding to the reaction mixture resulting from step (c) the remaining 1/2 of soda ash, then the remaining 1/2 of 1-hydroxy-6-aminonaphthalene-3-sulfonic acid and finally the remaining 1/2 of the diazotized amine slurry from step (a), e. stirring the solution of dye resulting from step (d) and f. adding urea to the stirred dye solution.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 3 wherein the amine used in step (a) has the formula: ##STR5##