Bismarck brown

Description

A soluble synthetic brown textile dye that was the first successfully made from two azo groups, thus a disazo dye. Bismarck brown was made in 1863 by C. Martius by coupling diazonium ions and amines. The brown to blackish purple powder process a deep brown color that has been use is used to dye fats, waxes, soaps, varnishes, and wood. Bismarck brown is also used as a metachromatic dye to produce a yellow stain on acid mucins.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Basic Brown 1; CI 21000; Solvent Brown 41; Bismarck Brown Y; bruno di Bismarck (It.); Vesuvine BA; Manchester brown; phenylene brown; aniline brown

Risks

• Can have toxic effects in aquatic organisms
• Azo compounds are suspected carcinogens
• ThermoFisher: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Soluble in water and ethanol
• Has good stability, high fastness and wash fastness
• Composition = C18H18N8.2HCl
• CAS = 8005-77-4
• Molecular Weight = 419.32 g/mol

Resources and Citations

• Wikipedia: Bismarck Brown Y Accessed May 2026
• Helmut Schweppe, Schweppe color collection index and information book
• A.Scharff, 'Synthetic dyestuffs for textiles and their fastness to washing', ICOM-CC Preprints Lyon, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1999
• Colour Index International online at www.colour-index.org Comment: formula=C18H18N8.2HCl, CAS=1052-38-6
• Website: www.straw.com/sig/dyehist
• Website: http://www.smith.edu/hsc/silk/Papers/meredith.html
• Sigma Dyes, Stains and Natural Pigments, Infrared Library, Nicolet, 1991-1995 Comment: OMNIC formula=C18H18N8, CAS=10114-58-6