Diazo dye

Description

A common synonym for azo dyes. Azo dyes are a large group of synthetic dyestuffs containing one or more nitrogen double bond (azo) groups as its chromophore. Azo chromophores were first discovered in 1863 when Martius and Lightfoot coupled diazonium ions and amines. Within the year, Peter Greiss prepared Bismarck brown, the first azo dye. By the 1880s numerous other azo dyes, such as para red and primuline red, were developed. Since that time most permanent modern dyestuffs have been derived from diazotized aromatic amines and are commonly called diazo dyes. The simplest diazo dyes are yellow, but changing the number of chromophores or the backbone structure can produce red, violet, blue and even black dyes.

See also Disazo dye.

Synonyms and Related Terms

colorante diazoico (Esp.); colorant diazo (Fr.); azo dyes

Examples include: Hansa yellow; para red; toluidine red; lithol red; rouge de lithol; Harrison's red

Resources and Citations

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• Website: http://www.smith.edu/hsc/silk/Papers/meredith.html - states'Martius discovered it in 1863, by coupling diazonium ions and amines. Bismarck Brown, the name of the first azo dye, lead to an entirely new class of azo dyes, which were developed by Greiss'

• Thomas B. Brill, Light Its Interaction with Art and Antiquities, Plenum Press, New York City, 1980 Comment: gives Greiss as developer of Bismarck brown

• Website www. handprint.com - gives Peter Gries as developer

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000