Indophenol and related dyes

Abstract

Abstract This article covers three closely related types of colorant: the indophenol class of dyes plus those of their indaniline and indamine counterparts. Their roots stretch all the way back to the mid-nineteenth-century period during which synthetic dyes were successfully commercialized for the first time. The early history and subsequent development of these classes are briefly surveyed along with their chemistry. Two of their most important applications involve the synthesis of the dyes as part of the coloration process: the development of images from photographic film and the dyeing of hair. This introduction to indo dyes closes by describing their role in these and other coloration processes.