Application of sodium benzoyl thiosulphate from aqueous solution to wool and its effect on substantivity of disperse dyes. Part 1: synthesis and characterisation of sodium benzoyl thiosulphate

The introduction of bulky aryl residues into wool fibres not only enhances their disperse dyeability but also improves their settability, shrink resistance and imparts easy-care properties. It would be highly desirable for colourists to achieve such effects when dyeing or printing wool from an aqueous solution as wool/polyester blend fabrics could be dyed and printed with the same dye; furthermore, in the case of an all-wool fabric pretreated with such arylating systems, following dyeing or printing with disperse dyes, dye fixation can be achieved by dry heat procedures. A water-soluble, fibre-reactive arylating agent, sodium benzoyl thiosulphate, was therefore synthesised, characterised and its stability to hydrolysis in aqueous media was examined.