Abstract: Surfactants alkyl group; R_1, R_2, R_3 represent morpholine, allyl or short chain alkyl group and may contain OH group; X=water soluble anion) were used as retarders in dyeing of cationically dyeable acrylonitrile fiber with 2 cationic dyes. The exhaustion percentages of the dyebath at various periods of dyeing were calculated from the optical densities of the dyebath. The effects of chain length of alkyl group, type of anion and structure of substitution groups (short chain alkyl or cyclic group) on nitrogen atom were examined. This dyeing procedure does not affect the light fastness of dyes and has good antistatic effect, thus leading to the elimination of ring-dyeing.