Process for the modification of cellulosic textile materials

Cellulosic textile materials having an improved softness are produced by treating them preferably in aqueous media in the presence of an acidbinding agent with a compound free from organic chromophoric groups or a mixture of such compounds containing at least one 1 : 3 : 5 triazine ring, the carbon atoms of which carry as substituents at least one halogen atom or at least one SO3H or SO3X group, where X stands for alkali or alkaline earth metal, and at least one residue of a primary or secondary amine bound via the nitrogen atom thereof and containing at least one salt forming solubilizing group which may be negatively or positively charged and then treating them with water soluble non-dyestuff textile treating agents which are capable of reaction with a group or groups contained by the triazine compound. Suitable negatively charged salt forming solubilizing groups are sulphonic acid and carboxylic acid groups and the corresponding alkali metal sulphonates and carboxylates and suitable positively charged salt forming solubilizing groups are quaternary ammonium groups. Specified acid-binding agents are sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. The water soluble non-dyestuff textile treating agents may be organic or inorganic and may be reacted with the negatively or positively charged salt forming solubilizing groups in the triazine compound by metathesis or if the groups present are capable of metal co-ordination complex formation the non-dyestuff textile treating agents may be metallic salts selected to form such co-ordination complexes. Suitable treating agents for aftertreatment of textiles treated with triazinyl compounds containing negatively charged salt forming solubilizing groups are water soluble salts of aluminium, zinc, mercury, silver, zirconium, cobalt, copper, chromium, iron and nickel and quaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium compounds such as cetyl pyridinium bromide, dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and tetra-akis-hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride. Suitable treating agents for after-treatment of textiles treated with triazinyl compounds containing positively charged salt forming solubilizing groups are alkali metal chromates, dichromates, phosphates and polyphosphates and alkali metal phenoxides and alkyl sulphates, sulphonates, carboxylates and alkyl aryl sulphonates in the form of their alkali metal salts. If the triazine compound contains negatively charged salt forming solubilizing groups and also groups capable of forming