3. Types of textile dyes

Acid dyes are mainly used for light-to-medium dyeing of wool, silk and polyamide.

Metalliferous dyes are used to dye protein fibers and polyamide to dark colors. They are characterized by better color fastness than acid dyes.

Direct or substantive dyes have a strong affinity for cellulose fibers.

Mordant dyes require the addition of chemical substances such as electrolytes, to give them an affinity for the material to be dyed. They are applied to cellulose fibers, wool or silk in combination with metallic salts.

Disperse dyes are very fine suspensions of water-insoluble organic pigments used to dye synthetic fibers such as polyester and, more rarely, polyamides.

Reactive dyes are currently the most widely used...