Ethyl Corporation

Albemarle Corporation

Other

James E Borland

Kim R Smith

Joe D Sauer

Terry Crutcher

Jeffrey W Perine

Y-d Mark Chen

Rebecca F Smith

Fred J Impastato

Raynold J Corona

Raymond O Johannessen

A phosphate-free granular laundry detergent having a cleaning performance comparable to that of a premium phosphate-containing laundry detergent has a surfactant content of 1-30% and a detergent builder content of at least 50% by weight and contains: (A) as its sole surfactant, a mixture of 20-98% by weight of an ethoxylated fatty alcohol corresponding to the formula Z(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH in which Z is an alkyl group containing 8-30 carbons and n is an integer of 1-50, 1-75% by weight of an alkali metal or ammonium salt of an alkylbenzene sulfonate in which the alkyl group contains 10-18 carbons, and 1-20% by weight of an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 8-24 carbons, R' is methyl, ethyl, or 2-hydroxyethyl; and R' is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, and primary alkyl groups containing 8-24 carbons and (B) as its sole detergent builder, a mixture of a sodium aluminum silicate, an anti-redeposition agent, sodium silicate, and at least one different water-soluble inorganic salt in proportions such that the laundry detergent contains 1-50% by weight of the sodium aluminum silicate, 0.1-5% by weight of the anti-redeposition agent, 1-20% by weight of the sodium silicate, and 10-80% by weight of the different inorganic salt.

Granular laundry detergent

A tert-amine which contains an acid-activated color body precursor is treated to prevent it or a derivative thereof, e.g., an amine oxide, betaine, or quaternary ammonium compound, from turning pink when exposed to acidic conditions by contacting it with ascorbic acid.

Tertiary amine treatment

Novel perhydrates having utility as surfactants and bleaching agents are obtained by reacting an anhydrous amine oxide or an amine oxide monohydrate with hydrogen peroxide in such proportions as to provide a compound corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO.multidot.xH.sub.2 O.multidot.yH.sub.2 O.sub.2 in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 8-24 carbons; R' is methyl, ethyl, or 2-hydroxyethyl; R' is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, and primary alkyl groups containing 8-24 carbons; x is 0 or 1; y is 1 or 2; and x+y is .ltoreq.2.

Amine oxide complexes

A pourable amine oxide composition which is suitable for use in detergent compositions is obtained by reacting a tert-amine with aqueous hydrogen peroxide in a nonionic surfactant as the sole organic solvent, at least a portion of the nonionic surfactant being an alkylphenol ethoxylate or other compound corresponding to the formula Z[OC(Z')HCH.sub.2 ].sub.m OH in which Z is an alkylphenyl group wherein the alkyl group contains 4-30 carbons, Z' is hydrogen or an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group containing 1-3 carbons, and m is an integer of 1-100. When the composition has a low water content, it is suitable for use in water-sensitive formulations, such as bar soaps and detergent concentrates.

Amine oxide composition and process

A solid amine oxide is prepared by reacting a tert-amine with at least a stoichiometric amount of an aqueous hydrogen peroxide having a concentration of at least 50% by weight in the presence as the reaction medium of a normally gaseous material which (a) has a critical temperature &lt;160.degree. C. and a critical pressure &lt;12 MPa, (b) is in a liquefied, densified, or supercritical state in which it has a density of at least 0.1 g/cc, and (c) is present in an amount sufficient to maintain the reaction mixture stirrable throughout the reaction.

Process for preparing solid amine oxides

Surfactant mixtures capable of providing a foamability performance equal to that of any of the components of the mixture at a lower cost comprise (1) an ethoxylated fatty alcohol, (2) a fatty acid alkanolamide, and (3) an alkyl sulfate.

Surfactant compositions

Surfactant compositions which provide acceptable foamability at a lower cost than amine oxide/alkyl sulfate mixtures consist of (A) 5-85% by weight of an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 6-24 carbons and R' and R' are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, and 2-hydroxyethyl, (B) 5-85% by weight of an alkyl sulfate surfactant, and (C) 10-50% by weight of a normally liquid polyalkylene glycol.

Amine oxide-containing compositions

The divalent ion sequestration rate of a zeolite is increased by blending it with an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 6-24 carbons and R' and R' are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, and 2-hydroxyethyl to provide about 2.3-7.0 mmols of amine oxide per gram of zeolite. Preferred ingredients are zeolite A and N-tetradecyldimethylamine oxide, and the increased sequestration rate makes the zeolite more suitable for use as detergent builder in anionic surfactant-containing cleaning compositions.

Detergent builder

A non-aromatic tert-amine is oxidized with hydrogen peroxide at about 20.degree.-100.degree. C. by a carbon dioxide-accelerated high solids process in which discoloration of the amine oxide product is minimized by diluting the carbon dioxide before allowing it to contact the reaction mixture so that the entire reaction is conducted in an atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide and an amount of inert gas, such as nitrogen or air, which is at least equal in volume to the amount of carbon dioxide.

Amine oxide process

Surfactant compositions which provide acceptable foamability at a lower cost than amine oxides consist of (A) an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 6-24 carbons and R' and R' are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, and 2-hydroxyethyl and (B) a normally liquid polyalkylene glycol.

Amine oxide surfactant compositions

The rewettability of laundered fabrics, such as cotton fabrics, that are softened by the use of a laundry rinse is improved by using as the laundry rinse a rinse comprising an aqueous solution of a mixture of 20-75% by weight of N-octadecyl-N,N-dimethylamine oxide and 80-25% weight of N-dihydrogenatedtallow-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride as the fabric softener.

Laundry rinse containing N-octadecyl-N,N-dimethylamine oxide and

Quaternary ammonium halides are prepared in solid form by reacting an alkyl or aralkyl halide with ammonia or an amine in a liquefied gas as the solvent.

Preparation of solid quaternary ammonium halides

Surfactant mixtures which have performance and/or cost advantages over either component alone consist of 5-95% by weight of an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 6-24 carbons and R' and R' are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, and 2-hydroxyethyl and 95-5% by weight of a fatty acid alkanolamide. Preferred mixtures are those in which the amine oxide is N-tetradecyldimetylamine oxide and the alkanolamide is cocodiethanolsuperamide.

Surfactant mixtures which have foamability performance and/or cost advantages over the individual components consist of 50-95% by weight of an alkyldimethylbetaine in which the alkyl group contains 8-18 carbons and 50-5% by weight of a fatty acid alkanolamide. Preferred mixtures are those in which the betaine is tetradecyldimethylbetaine and the alkanolamide is cocodiethanolsuperamide.

Binary surfactant mixtures

Surfactant mixtures which provide denser foams than the individual components consist of 50-90% by weight of an amine oxide corresponding to the formula RR'R'NO in which R is a primary alkyl group containing 6-24 carbons and R' and R' are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, and 2-hydroxyethyl and 50-10% by weight of an alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactant. Preferred mixtures are those in which the amine oxide is N-tetradecyldimethylamine oxide and the alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactant is sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate.

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Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America

James E Borland