Water-soluble monoazo compounds, preparation thereof and use thereof as dyes

A monoazo compound conforming to the formula (1) ##STR20## where:

• M is hydrogen or an alkali metal, or some other colorless salt-forming metal;
• R is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which is optionally substituted by sulfo, methoxy, ethoxy, hydroxyl, sulfato, phosphate, acetyloxy or propionyloxy;
• R.sup.1 is hydrogen, carboxyl, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which is optionally substituted, or is alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which is optionally substituted;
• m is zero (this group being hydrogen);
• n is zero, 1 or 2 (this group being hydrogen in the case of n being zero);
• X is a fiber-reactive group or grouping of the formula (3a), (3b), (3c), (3d), (3e) or (3f) ##STR21## where Hal is every time (and mutually identically or differently) chlorine, bromine or fluorine;
• R.sup..alpha. is hydrogen or Hal is defined above;
• R.sup.2 is hydrogen;
• R.sup.3 is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which is optionally substituted by hydroxyl, alkanoyloxy of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, sulfato, phosphato, carboxyl, sulfo or alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or is an optionally methyl-monosubstituted or -disubstituted cycloalkyl of 5 to 8 carbon atoms or is phenyl which is optionally substituted by 1 or 2 substituents selected from the group selected from the group consisting of sulfo, carboxyl, .beta.-sulfatoethylsulfonyl, vinylsulfonyl, chlorine, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or
• R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 combine to form an alkylene of 5 to 8 carbon atoms or an alkylene of 4 to 6 carbon atoms which is interrupted by --O-- or --NH-- and with the nitrogen atoms to form the radical of saturated heterocycle;
• the X--N(R)-- group is disposed on the benzene nucleus in position meta or para, to the azo group.