Albright & Wilson Limited

Other

Brinley M Phillips

Douglas E Mather

Edward T Messenger

Alan J Lambie

Brian J Akred

Maurice E Thompson

Robert B Lace

Edward Messenger

Mixtures of surfactants capable of forming 'G' phase are prepared by forming one component of the mixture from a precursor in the presence of the other component or components and sufficient water form the product in the 'G' phase.

Manufacturing concentrated surfactant compositions

Surfactant mixtures are prepared in a fluid 'G' phase of more than 50% concentration, the mixtures comprise different surfactant products selected respectively from at least two of the following classes, that is to say alkyl sulphates, alkyl ether sulphates, olefin sulphonates, alkyl benzene sulphonates, alkyl sulphosuccinates, alkyl ether sulphosuccinates, alkyl sulphosuccinamates, paraffin sulphonates, fatty carboxylates, alkyl ether carboxylates, alkyl phosphates, alkyl ether phosphates, alkyl phenol sulphates, alkyl phenyl ether sulphates, alkyl phenyl ether sulphonates, fatty ester sulphonates, fatty acid sulphonates, acyl sarcosinates and acyl taurides.

Concentrated aqueous surfactant compositions

Aqueous surfactant mixtures comprising a first amphoteric surfactant and at least one non-ionic surfactant and/or at least one amphoteric surfactant non-homologous with the first amphoteric surfactant, are obtained at a concentration substantially higher than previously obtainable by preparing them in the presence of sufficient water to form a 'G' phase.

The reaction of an imidazoline base of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R represents an aliphatic group comprising from 6 to 22 carbon atoms and R.sub.1 represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl group comprising 1 to 4 carbon atoms, with a carbo-alkylating agent is carried out in two stages. Initially the pH is maintained in the range 7 to 11 and subsequently it is maintained in the range 9 to 12.5. These conditions encourage at least part of the imidazoline to undergo alkylation followed by hydrolysis and further alkylation. The di alkylated amidoamines thus produced are believed to be novel. The reaction products are surfactants which exhibit very low skin irritancy and have a desirably low viscosity. They find particular application in shampoo formulations.

Process for producing novel carboalkylated surface active agents and

It is known to prepare olefin sulphonates by neutralizing olefin sulphonation products with dilute aqueous bases. This invention provides a method of preparing more concentrated solutions of certain olefin sulphonates by determining the position of the viscosity minimum which occurs at concentrations above the critical limit where gel formation is normally observed and which corresponds to the formation of a `G` phase, and reacting the olefin sulphonation product with the base in the presence of sufficient water to provide a product having a concentration corresponding substantially to this minimum.

Concentrated organic sulphonate solutions

Mixtures of amphoteric and anionic surfactants are obtained as concentrated aqueous systems in the G phase.

The invention provides a process for reducing the diamide content of imidazolines having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R represents an aliphatic group having from at least 4 carbon atoms and R.sub.1 represents an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The mixture of imidazoline and diamide is reacted with a primary or secondary amine which deacylates the diamide to an amido-amine. The product of this deacylation is an imidazoline solution which remains clear even on prolonged storage. The imidazoline is produced by reaction of an acid RCOOH with a diamine NH.sub.2 (CH.sub.2).sub.2 NHR.sub.1. Preferably this diamine is used as the deacylating agent.

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Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Brinley M Phillips