Concentrated disazo dye-surfactant solution

Claim 1

An improved aqueous-organic solvent solution having a pH between 10 and 13, of the disazo dye ##STR7## wherein X is a cation selected from the group sodium, potassium, lithium, and ammonium, the improvement comprising the presence in the dye solution of a combination of i. 0.1% to 10.0%, by total weight, of an anionic surfactant, and ii. 0.1% to 10.0%, by total weight, of a nonionic surfactant, the ratio of anionic surfactant to nonionic surfactant being between 1 to 20 and 17 to 1, the dye solutin having a dye concentration in the range of 15% to 25% based on the total weight of the solution, said solution being nongelling upon dilution with water, the anionic surfactant being a water-soluble salt of at least one member of the group consisting of substituted benzenesulfonic acid salt, substituted naphthalenesulfonic acid salt, and sulfonated naphthaleneformaldehyde condensate salt, the nonionic surfactant being selected from at least one member of the group consisting of condensates of a. C 4 to C 24 alkyl primary amines and at least 5 moles of propylene oxide, b. C 4 to C 24 alkyl primary amines and at least 5 moles of ethylene oxide, c. C 12 to C 24 alcohols and at least 15 moles of ethylene oxide, d. C 12 to C 24 alcohols and at least 5 moles of propylene oxide, e. C 4 to C 24 alcohols and at least 8 moles of ethylene oxide and 2 moles of propylene oxide, f. alkyl phenols and at least 8 moles of ethylene oxide, and g. ethylene oxide and polypropylene ether glycol which is derived from propylene glycol and propylene oxide said glycol having a molecular weight from about 1,000 to 10,000, said condensate having a proportion derived from ethylene oxide of 20 to 80 weight percent.