Rinsable dyes and methods for their preparation

A method of preparing a rinsable dye comprising the following steps:

• (a) providing a primary aryl amine containing an aryl group, wherein directly attached to the aryl group are one or more substituent acidic ionic or salt groups that are solubilizing groups;
• (b) converting the primary aryl amine to a diazonium salt;
• (c) coupling the diazonium salt to one or more conjugated systems, comprising multiple aryl rings that contain multiple substituent acidic ionic or salt solubilizing groups, to form an azo compound;
• (d) coupling to the azo compound to a polyalkyleneoxylated aryl amine to which one or more polymeric or copolymeric alkyleneoxy chains are attached to form a polyalkyleneoxylated azo compound;
• and
• (e) capping one or more of the solubilizing groups with basic ionic or salt groups to form one or more capped solubilizing groups wherein the acidic ionic or salt group in one or more of the capped solubilizing groups comprises a sulfonic group (SO3) or a sulfonate salt, and wherein the basic ionic or salt group in one or more of the capped solubilizing groups comprises an amine or amine salt.