Organic solvent-soluble metal-azo and metal-azomethine dyes

A metal-containing dye having a nucleus of the formula:

• wherein:
• Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 each independently represents an arene nucleus having from 5 to 14 ring atoms;
• G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 each independently represent a metal ligating group wherein G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 may be contained within or pendant from at least one of Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 and are independently selected from the group consisting of;
• oxygen, hydroxy, alkylthio, carboxy, sulfur, amine, substituted amine, acylamido, sulfonamido, and sulfamoyl;
• R represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an acylamino group, an alkoxy group, a sulfonamido group, an aryl group, a thiol group, an alkythio group, an arylthio group, an alkylamino group, an arylamino group, an amino group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an acyloxy group, a nitro group, a cyano group, an alkylsulfonyl, an arylsulfonyl group, an alkylsulfoxyl group, an arylsulfoxyl group, an aryloxy group, a hydroxy group, a thioamido group, a carbamoly group, a sulfamoyl group, a formyl group, an acyl group, a ureido group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, a silyl group, or a sulfoalkoxy group;
• L.sub.1 represents a trialkyl or triaryl phosphine ligand;
• or L.sub.1 represents a pyridine group free of free-radically polymerizable functionality, and free of substitution at the 2- and 6-positions of the pyridine ring group and at least one of the 3-, 4-, 5-positions of the pyridine ring group is substituted with R.sub.1, wherein;
• R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group, an acylamino group, an alkoxy group, a sulfonamido group, an aryl group, an alkylthio group, an alkylamino group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an acyloxy group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an alkylsulfoxyl group, an alkylcarbamoxyl group, an alkylsulfamoyl group, a formyl group, an acyl group, a silyl group, or a sulfoalkoxy group;
• L.sub.2 represents a non-free-radically polymerizable monodentate or polydentate ligand;
• X represents nitrogen;
• M is a divalent or polyvalent transition metal ion where the coordination number is at least 4;
• and
• k, m, and n are whole numbers less than or equal to 3.