“Alcian Blue”—New Dyestuff Discovered

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 11, 9 January 1948, Page 8

“Alcian Blue”—New Dyestuff Discovered

An entirely new dyestuff which will, for the first time, enable textile printers to produce a bright turquoise blue shade with good fastness to washing and light, has been discovered in the laboratories of Imperial Chemical Industries Limited. Known as Alcian Blue BGS, it is the successful culmination of many years’ research by -two chemists, Messrs. N. H. Haddock and C. Wood, and a dyestuffs technologist, Mr R. Thornton, of 1.C.1. Dyestuffs Division Blackley, Manchester. Their aim was to derive a fast dyestuff for textiles from Monastral Blue, which was discovered several years ago in 1.C.1. laboratories. Being a pigment; and therefore insoluble, Monastral Blue has had only a limited value for textiles, however, and its application has been confined mainly to Ijfo.the colouring of surface coatings of kinds and paints. The evolution of a new blue dyev stuff is of the greatest significance throughout the textile world. Steps are therefore being taken to make Alcian Blue available to overseas markets. At the same time, it will be a powerful aid to the British textile industry in its present export drive. Many stages are involved in the manufacture of Alcian Blue, and an entirely new plant will eventually have to be built. In the meantime, production will be spread over the several factories of the Dyestuffs Division in England and Scotland.