dye

Introduction
History of dyes
- Natural dyes
  - Mordants
  - Decline of natural dyes
- Synthetic dyes
Dye structure and colour
General features of dyes and dyeing
- Fibre structure
- Fibre porosity
- Dye retention
- Dyeing techniques
  - Direct dyeing
  - Disperse dyeing
  - Vat dyeing
  - Azo dyeing techniques
  - Reactive dyeing
- Classifications of dyes
- Standardization tests and identification of dyes
Development of synthetic dyes
- Triphenylmethane dyes
- Anthraquinone dyes
- Xanthene and related dyes
- Azo dyes
- Reactive dyes
- Phthalocyanine compounds
- Quinacridone compounds
- Fluorescent brighteners
- Food dyes
- Dye-industry research

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Dyerswoad, Isatis tinctoria, is a source of indigo, considered the oldest known dye.

The visible spectrum, which represents the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye, absorbs wavelengths of 400–700 nm.

Some tanneries, such as that in Fès, Morocco, still rely on vat dyeing to tan leather.

At a Glance

dye summary

Quizzes

Color wheel, visible light, color spectrum. Colour wheel

The Origins of Colors, Pigments, and Dyes

Related Questions

How are azo dyes formed directly within fabric during ingrain dyeing?
How could different mordants change the color made by alizarin?
How did Paul Ehrlich's work with methylene blue contribute to the idea of chemotherapy?
How did Perkin's mauve dye change the dye industry?
How did World War I affect dye industries in Britain and the United States?
How did coal tar contribute to the growth of the synthetic dye industry?
How did crystal violet lead to the Gram stain method for identifying bacteria?
How did mordants help natural dyes remain attached to cotton fabric?
How did synthetic alizarin help finance the development of synthetic indigo?
How do agitation and restraining agents improve the evenness of dyeing?
How do dye molecules attach to textile fibres?
How do hydrogen bonds help dyes attach to wool, silk, and synthetic fibres?
How do ionic forces help dye wool?
How do reactive dyes form covalent bonds with cotton fibres?
How do van der Waals forces contribute to dyeing cotton with direct dyes?
How does logwood produce black and gray shades for silk and leather?
How does the Colour Index classify commercial colorants?
How is lightfastness measured for textile dyes?
How was Lincoln green produced using luteolin and indigo?
How was alizarin obtained from the madder plant?
What advantages can solvent dyeing have over water-based dyeing?
When did BASF begin selling synthetic indigo?
Which insects were used to make kermes and cochineal dyes?
Which natural sources supplied most dyes before the 1850s?
Which other conditions are used to test a dye's fastness?
Which plants provided natural yellow dyes such as luteolin and quercetin?
Why can one colorant have many different trade names?
Why did chromium salts replace many earlier mordants around 1850?
Why did mauve have only a short commercial lifetime?
Why did natural dyes decline during the Industrial Revolution?
Why did producing cochineal dye require so many insects?
Why did the Mediterranean Tyrian purple industry disappear by the 1450s?
Why do reactive dyes have excellent colorfastness?
Why is heat supplied during the textile dyeing process?
Why is indigo firmly trapped in cotton after vat dyeing?
Why is levelness important when dyeing fabric?
Why must a dye resist washing, heat, and light after it is applied to fabric?
Why was Tyrian purple associated with rulers and high priests?
What is archil?
How is archil dye prepared?
What is the chemistry behind archil dye?

Science Chemistry

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External Websites

National Center for Biotechnology Information - General Introduction to the Chemistry of Dyes
World Health Organization - IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans - General Introduction to the Chemistry of Dyes
IndiaNetzone - Weaving and Dyeing Craft

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

dye - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

dye

Also known as: dyestuff

Written by

J.B. Stothers

Professor of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London. Author of Carbon-13 NMR Spectroscopy.

J.B. StothersAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

dye, substance used to impart colour to textiles, paper, leather, and other materials such that the colouring is not readily altered by washing, heat, light, or other factors to which the material is likely to be exposed. Dyes differ from pigments, which are finely ground solids dispersed in a liquid, such as paint or ink, or blended with other materials. Most dyes are organic compounds (i.e., they contain carbon), whereas pigments may be inorganic compounds...

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