CA2094604C - Liquid detergent compositions containing a suspended peroxygen bleach - Google Patents

Abstract

Liquid detergent compositions are disclosed, which contain a solid peroxygen compound suspended in a liquid phase containing water and at least one water-miscible solvent, and low levels of silicate which provide adequate suspension for the solid peroxygen compound in the liquid phase.

Description

WO 92/070~5 PCT/~591/07606 ~: 2 ~

:
:.;"

LIQUID D~Tk~GENT CO~POSITIONS CONTAINING
. ~
~ A SUSP~NDED PEROXYGEN BLEACH

~ ' : ' ' ' : - TPrl~n;~l Field : .

... .
e invention relates to liquid detergent compositions which contain a s~lcp~n~;n~ solid peroxygen -~ -nn~, and low levels of silicate.

Bac3~L U~ d Answering the long-felt need for bleach-containing aqueous liquid detergent c~.rositions, European Patent ' : Application 293 040 and 294 904, have described aqueous : ; detergent compositions having a pH above 8, cont~;n;ng an anionic surr~actant at conventional levels, and a solid ..

:
,:
'~.
~ .

~:: .
~,: .. ,. ~ - . .

, ; , 2 ~

i peroxygen bleach, 5~lcp~nd~d ln a specific watPr/solvent medium, which medium was found to give the requir2d ~;c~l stability to the composition.

In such compositions however, particular attention has to be given to the physical stability of susr,end2d i~ particles in the liquid medium.
.

One option is eprPsented by e.g. copending U.~.
Application No. 8926620.9, descri~ing liquid d2t2rsent compositions in which solid particles, in particular particlss of a peroxygen compound, are suspended by means of a structured surfactant phase tsurfactant "neat phas2").
ere is a need, however, for suspending systems which involve easier ~loc~sci~g, compared to ~Lu~uL~d surfactant phases.

Although not for the ~UL~oS~ of sUcp~n~;n~ peroxygen bleach particles, strucLul~d surfactant phases have been described in variou_ patent ~ S; In particular E~-A-79 646, EP-A-86 614, EP-A-203 660 and~EP-A-295 021 describe liquid detergent compositions containing suspended builder particles where one or more "salting-out"
electrolytes, or i'surfactant desolubilizing" electrolytes are used, to build ~L u~Lured phases with the surfactant materials;

; Such electrolytes includej among many other substances, silicates, and need to be used at substantial levels, i.e.
above 5%, in o~der 'o perform their~"salting-out" effect.

Other patent doc~ nts disclosing ~h8 use of silicates in cle~ning/detergent compositions of the suspending type include G~-A-2031455, and GB-A-1342612 wherein the solid materials to be s .cp~n~d include abrasives and ~ ' ' ' , ' .

'':~ , . "." ' :
,~ ~

WO 92/07055 PCT/US91/076~6 2 ~

T.~at2r-insolubl2 phosphate h~ Pr salts, but do not ~ncomDas~ pero~ygen blsach particles; actually, GB-A-2158453 which mentions perborate as a possible ~l~aching ~rgr~dient in liquid c ,itions of the suspendirAg t~pe specirically advocates that the comDositioms must -e free of silicate', and instead must contain ~ c-a~o~Ilic antigelling agent.

Silica.es nave also '~een widely described as alkalinity-building ingredients of aqueous thixotropic li~uid'c~.~osilions used for e.g. automatic dishwashing pUrpOSQS. ~epres2ntatiYs of this art is EP 315 024, disclosing levels of silicate in the range of 25~ to 40%.

It has naw surprisingly been found that low levels of silicate can effi~ ntly ~-~P-,-~ peroxygen-bleach particles in liquid de~e~yer.L compositions of the type described in EP-A-293 040, with only a l~a~e increase in~the viscosity of the composition.
The present sllcp~n~ion system does not involve any specific processing ~iLLicul~y; 'u~-th~rmore the presence of silicate brings such advantages as increased alkality and increased washing-machine compatibility.

e present invention therefore provides perfectly phase-stable aqueous liquid detergent compositions cont~;n;n~ a solid peroxygen bleach c ~ ', a.liquid phase consisting of water and a water-miscible organic solvent, and lo~b~ levels o~ silicate to suspend the - ~ peroxyg~n 'oleach particles in the liguid phase.
": :

,, :

2~4~0~
4 ~

SummarY

m e present invention relates to s~able liquid deterg2n~ com~ositions having a pH of at least 8 and less than about 11, comprising a solid, water-solubIe pzro~g ~ suspended in a liguid phase containing water and at least one T~ater-miscible organic solvent, the amount o~
the solid water-soluble peroxygPn compound being such ~ha~
the amount of available oxygan provided by said peroxlgen c _ ld is from 0.5% to 3%, said compositions containing from 0.5% to 5%, preferably I% to 3%, by weight of silicate.

~etailed Description The water-soluble pe~uxY5~sl~ c , ~-d The water-soluble solid peroxygen ~ n~5 is present in the compositions herein pref~rably at 1eYe1S of from 5 to 50% by weight of the total composition, more preferably from 5 to 40%, even more preferably from 5% to 30%, most praferably from 10~ to 30% by weight.

Examples of suitable water-soluble solid peroxygen ,_ m~c include the peLLuL~es, persulfates, ,ox~Slisulfates, y~L~hn~h~teS and the crystalline peroxyhydrates formed by reacting hydrogen peroxide~with sodium carbonac_ (forming percar~onate) or urea. Pre~erred peroxygen ble~ach c ,_~-dç are perborates and per~rhon~tes.

Most prererred in the present context is a perborate bleach in the form of particles having a weight-average an : . , : .
, ~ ' " ': ' .. . .

:. ' W092~0705~ PCT/US91/07606 _ 5 _ 2 ~ 9 ~ ~ u ~

average ~artlcl~ di~met~r of from o.5 to 20 micrometers, pr ferably 3 to 15 micrometers.

The small ~ rage ~article size can best be achieved by in-situ cxys.~lii~acion, t~pically of perborate monohydra~e.

In-sltu c~ystallization encom~s~ processes involving -dissoiu~lon ar.d rec-~ys~allization, as in the dissolution of perborate monohydrate and subsequent formation of pel~,dLe tet-ahydrate~ ~ec~s~ ;7ation may also take place by allowi.-~ p2 ~_rat~ monohydrate to take up crystal water, whereby the monohydrate directly recrystallizes into the tetrahydrate~ without dissolution step.

~In-situ cryst~ tion also ~ ~ec~c ~oc~ccPc i~involving rh~mi~l re~c~;~ncr as when sodium ~Lu,dLe is , formed by reacting stoichiometric amounts of hy~ e peroxide and sodium metaborate or borax.
~:

The water-miscible organic solvent ~ he suspansion system for the solid peroxygen component hereln consists in a-liquid phas2 tha_ comprises water and a water-miscible organic solvent. This makes it possih~e to in~uL~o-~te in the liquid detergent ~ ~sitlons herein a high ~mount of solid water-soIuble-peroxygen c _lnd, while ke~ping the amount of available oxygen in soiution ~elow 0.5~ by weigh~ OI the liquid phase, preferably below 0.1%. Less than one tenth of the total amount of peroxygen c~ d is d~ssolved in the liquid p;nase; the low level of available oxygen in solution is in fact critical for the stability of the syst2m.
:, ~

. ~ .. .
.
~ .

,~, : ., . - ..
.

WO92/07~55 PCT/~S91/07606 2~a ~G~

m e standard icdometric methcd (as described for instanca in ~ethoden der Or~n;~rhPn Chemia, Houben Weyl, 1953, Vo. 2, page 562) is suitable to deter~ine tne aYaila~le o~gPn (AVO) content of the composition.

In order to ~nsura complet~ ~quil~bration between liquid and solid phases, the compositions are to be kept after mixing ror thrae days at room temperature b~LoL~ the ~VO titration. ~efore measuring ~he products are thoroughly shaken in order to ensure correct sa~pling.

For the det~rm;n~tion of the available oxygen (AVO) in the liquid phase, s~les of the compositions are centri~uged for 10 minutes at 10.000 rpm. The liquid is then s~a-~ed from the solid and titrated for available oxygen.

It is not nPc~e~y that the organic solvent be fully mlscible with water, provided that enough of the sol~ent mixes with the water of the composition to affect the solubility OL ~h2 p~roxygan ~ ~o~d in the descri~ed manner. Fully water-soluble solvents are preferred for use herein.
.
- Ihe water-misci~le organic sol~ent must, of course, be compatible with the peroxygen hleach c~mpound at the pH
that is used. Therefore, polyalcohols having vicinal ydluxy groups (e.g. 1,2-propanediol and glycerol~ are less ' desirable when the peroxygen bleach co~ol~n~ is perborate.

Examples of suitable water-miscible organic solvents include the lower a}iphatic monoalcohols; ethers of diPthylene glycol and lower monoaliphatic monoalcohols;
specirically ~thanol, n-propanol; iso-propanol; butanol;
, :
. ' .
:. . , : . ~ . , ;

, 2~6~

polyethylen3 glycol (e.g., PEG 150, 200, 300, 400);
dipropylQ~ne glycol; ha~ylene glycol; methoxyethanol;
e~hoxye~tanol; buto~yethar.ol; e~hyldiglycolether;
bPn%ylalcohol; btltO~I?rOp2nOl; butoxypropoxypropanol; and mixturas thereof. Pri3f2rrzd solvents include ethanol;
isopropanol~ l-me~ho~-2-propanol and butyldiglycolether.
A prefP~r_~ ,ol-t~n t syi~t2m ls ethanol. Ethanol may be prararably ~re3ent in a r~at_r.a~hanol ratlo o- ~:1 to 1:3.

Altnough ~le presence or absenc2 of other ingredients sl2ys 2 rolo, tho amount of available oxygen in solution is largsly ~ste~ ~ed by the ratio water:organic solvent. It is not necPss~ry however to use more organic solvent than is needed to keep the amount of available oxygen in solution below 0.5%, preferably below 0.1%.

In practical terms, the~ratio water:organic solvent is, for most systems, in the range from 5:1 to 1:3, preferably from 4:1 to 1:2.

1~12 ~.licatQ
~' The silicates are present in the present c -~;tion at levels or from 0.5%-to 5%, preferably from 1% to 3%. The addition of silicates at such low levels cannot promote the formation of a structured surfactant phase, but surprisir.gly allows for an efficient and stable s~1CpPnCi ~n of the peroxygen bleach particles, with only a moderate increase in the viscosity of the composition.
, ~
The silicate materials for use-herein can be natural silicates with a ratio of SiO2 to Na~0 of from 1:1 to 4:1, preferably 1:1 (metasilicate), 1.6:1 or 2:1.

, 2 ~ 9 ~

Preforr2d is sodium silicate, while potassium silicate can also be used.

Syn~hetic silicates can be used for the purpose of the presen~ ~nYe~tiOn, such as Sydo ~ 120, ~ith a ratio of SiO2 to ~go of 3.~

The pr25~n~ d d~torg2nt s~mpositions with blQach _xhi~it a pH (1% solution in distill~d wator) of at least 8 and less ~han aboul 11, prererably of at least 9, more preferably at least 9.5. The al~aline pH allows good bleach mg action of the peroxygen cu~l~o~.d, particularly when the peroxygen is a perborate.

, Surfactants The compositions herein preferably contain a nonionic or cationic surfactant, or a mixture thereof, at total Ievels of from 1% to 20%, most preferably from 3% to 10%.
' The nonionic surfactants are convention~l1y produced by condensing ethylene oxide with a hydror~rhon having a reactive hydrogen atom, e.g., a hydroxyl, carboxyl, or amido group, in the presence of an acidic or basic catalyst, and include compounds having the general formula RA(C~2CH2Q~nH wherein R represents the i~dluphobic moiety, A represents the group carrying the reactive hy~ atom and n represents the average number of ethylene oxide moletles. R typically contains from about 8 to 22 carbon atoms. They can also be formed by the condensation oI propylene oxide with a lower molecular wei~ht cu.ru~ld. n usually varies from about 2 to about 24.

, ~ ' ' , .
.

: '. , ' . . :

- g _ Tha ~ydrc~hobic ~oi~ty of the nonionic c~o~ln~ is prPfera~ly a prima~ or secondary, straight or branched, aliphatic alcohol having _rom abou~ 8 co a~out 24, praf~rably fmo~ ~bout 12 to oout 20 carbon atoms. A more com~leta disclosuro of sui~abl~ nonionic surfactants can be found in U.S. ~atont 4,111,855. Mi~tures of nonionic surfac'~nt3 ~-~n '._~ desir~

A pr~~2~red class ~f nonionic ~cho~lla~es is represented by ~he condensation pr~duct or a ratty alcohol having from 12 to 15 carbon atoms and from about 4 to 10 moles or ethyl~e oxide per mole of fatty alcohol.
Suitable species of this class of ethoxylates include :
the cn~ncation product of C12-C15 oxo-alcohols and 7 moles of ethylene oxide per molè of alcohol; the CQn~PnC~tioll ~Lv~e~ of narrow cut C14-C15 oxo-alcohals and 7 or 9 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of fat~(oxo)~lc~hnl; the co,.~ Lion ~LU~U~L of a narrow cut C12-C13 fatty(oxo)~lc~hol and 6,5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of fatty alcohol; and the condensation produc'.s of a C~O-C14 coc~!h~ fatty alcohol with a degree of ethoxylation (moles EO/mole fatty alcohol) in the range from 5 to 8. The fatty oxo-alcohols while mainly linear can have, depending upon ,he processing conditions and raw material olefins, a certain degree of branching, particularly short chain such as methyl br~n~h;ng.

A degree of br~n~h;n~ in the range from 15% to 50%
(weight %) is frequently found in commercial oxo alcohols.

~ PreferrDd nonionic ethoxylated c~ ts can alco be :~ ~ represented by a mixture of 2 s2~aratoly ethoxylated nonionic surfactants having a difîerent degree of ethoxylation. For Pxample, thP nonionic ethoxylate ;

.. ,. ~

WO 92tO70SS
PCT/US9l/07606 2 ~

surI ct~nt con~ainlng from 3 to 7 moles of ethylene oxide per ~012 0~ hydrophobic moiety and a second ethoxylated sp~cies havil.g ,r~m ~ to 1~ ~013s or e~hylQne oxide ~er mole of hy~roohobic moiety. A prsfsrred nonionic e~ho~ylat2d ~-~ contains a l~w2r etho~ylate ~hich is ~h~ cor.d~ns2tion prcd1lct of a C12-Cl5 oxo-alcohol, wi~h u~ to ~0-~ r2rchlr.~, and from a~out 3 to 7 moles of a~lene oxid- per mola o~ ~a'cty oxo-alcohol, and a high2r a~ho.~lat2 ~hlGh is ~o cor.d~nsatlon prcduct of a C16-Clg oxo-alcohol wi-.h mor2 ~han 50% (wt) branching and frcm a~out 8 to 14 moles of ethylene oxide per mole or branched oxo-~lcohol.

Semi-polar nonionic surfactants include water-soluble amine oxides contA;nin~ one alkyl or lly~u~y alkyl moiety of ~rom about 8 to about 28 carbon atoms and two moieties ~P1 P~t~ from the group consisting of alkyl groups and hy~L~xy alkyl gro~ps, con~inin~ from 1 to about 3 carbon at = which can opti~nAlly be joined into ring structures.

Th~ liq~id dete~gent compoisltions of the present invention optionally contain a cationic surfactant, preferably from 0.1% to 10%, more preferably 0.1% to 5~, by weight of tha comro-~ition.
.
Examples of suitable cationic surfactants include quaternary ~ n~ , ac of the formula RlR2R3R4N+X , wherein Rl is C12 C20 alkyl or hydroxyalXyl; R2 is Cl-C4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl or C12-Czo alkyl or hydroxyal~yl or Cl-C4 hydroxyalkyl; ~3 and R4 are each Cl-C4 alkyl or y~Luxy~l~yl, or C5-C8 aryl or alkylarvl; and X is h~lc~n. Preferred are mono-long cnain quaternary ammonium cu~u~.ds (i.e., cu~ ds of the above formula wheren R2 is Cl-C4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl).

.
, . -, ~ .

WO 92/~7055 PCT/US91/07606 2 ~

Zwitterionic surfact~nts T.~hich could bQ used in the ~ --;tions of ~e pros2nt invention includQ dQrivatives of ali~hatic quat~rn ~y ammonium, phosphn~ m~ and culph~n~m ~ ds ln ~,~ich t~e al~phatic moiQty can be straight or branch~d chain and wherein one o~ ~he aliphatic substit~l~nts ccntains Lrcm about ,3 to about 24 carhon atoms and ano~he:r ;~l~st.itu~nt contaii~3l a~ 12ast~ ~ anionic water-solubili~ing group. ~ar~ rly pr2~P-s~:ed zwittarionic -macerials ~re ~ o~lat-d a~moni~m sulfonates and sul~ates disclosed in U.S. Patents 3,925,~52, ~au~hlin et al., i.ssued Ooc~ber 9, 1975 and 3,929,678, Laughlin _t al. t is5ued nec~mher 3~, 1975.

The c~rositions herein may also contain anionic ~ d~ Ls. me ~ nic deLe~y~,Ls are well-known in the d~eLy~.L arts and have found wide-spread application in commercial d~te-~r,Ls. & itable Ani nni C synthetic Lac~ acti~e salts are selected from the group of sulfonates and sulfates. Preferred ~ninn;c synthetic water-soluble sulfonate or sulfate sal's have in their molecular struc'~ure an al'~yl radical cont~ning fro~ a~out 8 to about 22 carbon atoms.
, Accord mgly, anionic surractants, if used, are present at levels up to 40% by weight, prefzrably fr~m 1% to 30% by weight, even more preferably from 5% to 20% by weight.

Synthetic ~n;onic surfactants, can be represented by the general formula RlSo3M wherein R1 represents a hydror~r~on group selected rrom ~he group consisting of straight or branched alXyl ra~;c~l~ con~;n;ng from about 8 to about 24 car~on atoms and alXyl phenyl r~;c~l~
cont~;n;ng ~rom about g to akout 15 carbon atoms in the al~yl group. ~ is a salt ~orming catlon which typically is :

: .

W092/07~55 PCT/US91/07606 . - 12 -salsct~d ~om ~h~ group consisting or sodium, potassium, ammonium, and mix~ures ~hereof.

A referred sYnthetic anionic surfactant is a -~ter-sol~l? ~alt of ~n al~rylb2nz~ne sulfonic acid contain1n~ f-om ~ ~o 1~ carhon atoms in the alXyl group.
r.othe- p~ d s;~.~h~_ic anionic ~urfactant is a wat-r-sol~le salt OL~ ~l al~-l sulLate or an alkyl polyelho~r~Jl~tt~t a-~ah~r 31.1i~;~''t Wi'?~eln thg al3~yl group con~ains r~-om about ~ to a~out 2~, prer2rably from akout 10 to a~out 20 carbon a-coms, and praferably from about 1 to about 12 ~ho~v sroups. Other suitable anionic surfactants are disclosed m U.S. Patent 4,170,5~5, Flesher et al., issued October 9, 1979.
: , Examples of such preferred ~n;o~;G surfactant salts are the reaction products ob~ained by sulfatLng C8-C18 fatty alcohols derived from tallow and coc~ oil;
alkylh~ sulfu.l~Les wherein the alkyl group contains from about 9 to 15 car~on atoms; sodium alkylglyceryl ether sulfonates; ether sulfates of fattv alcohols derived from tallow and coconut oils; COCullu~ fatty acid monoglyceride sulfates ar.d sulfonates; and water-soluble salts of paraffin sulfonates having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atams in ~he alkyl cha m. Sulfonated oIefin surfactants as more fully described in e.g. U.S. Patent Specification 3,332,880 can also ~e used. The neutr~l;7;~ cation for the ~n; oni C synthetic sulfonates and/or sulfates is represented by conventional cations which are widely used : in deter~srt tsc~3.01cgy such as scdium and potassium.
.: .
A par~ riy ~rororr~d anionic syn~hetic surfactant herein is represented by the water-soluble salts ~ of an alX~l~enzsne sulfonic acid, prererably sodium : ~ .

2~9~

alkylbenzen2 sulîonat~s having L om abcut 10 to 13 carbon atcms in the al~yl group.

Builders The pr~s2nt com~osltions may contaln a builder, preferably at a le~ 1 r.o morQ t~an ~4~ ~ mor ~ref~rabl~ at a level or ~om 5~ to ~0~4 0~- '' h- 'cotal _~.,.pc~l'icn~
If prasent, such builders can consist o~ ~he inorganic or organic types alraady described in tn~ art.

The liquid detergent cnm~ositions herein optionally may contain, as a bu;1de~, a fatty acid cn~ronPnt. Preferably, v~ the amount cf fatty acid is less than 10% by weight of the ' ~7sition, more preferably less than 4%.
Preferred sdLuLa~ed fatty acids have from 10 to 16, more preferably 12 to 14 carbon atoms. Pre~erred ~,aa~u~dted fatty acids are oleic~acid and palmitoleic acid.
. .

Examples of inorganic builders include the -~-~us-based ~ d~rs~ e.g., sodium tripolyrho~phate, sodium pyrorhnsrh~te, and aluminosilicates (zeolites).

Examples of organic builders are L2~eSent d by polyacids such as citric acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, and ~ixtures of tartrate ~s~ccinate wi~h tartrate ccin~te. Preferred builders for use herein are citric acid and alk(en)yl-substitut~d succinic acid cu..,~o~lds, wherein aik(en)yl contains from 10 to 16 car~on atoms. An example o~ this group o~ cu.l~u~lds is dcdecenyl succinic acid. Polymeric car~oxylate builders inclusiva o~
polyacrylatss, polyhydroxy acrylates and polyacrylates/polymaleates copolymers can also be used, .

' : .. : ..
:
:' . ~

WO 92/07055 PCT~US91~07606 ~f0 ~ -~u u ~

preferably in c~m3ination ~i-~h the pre~erred builders above, i.2. ci'_ric acid znd akl(en)yl substituted succinic acid co~pG~ds.
.
G~her co.-.,~on-~nts~additi~es The c_~os ' t~ s herein ~ay also contain other n~ncs nd,~or addi~ci~s a-c a ievel prererably less than about 5~ Tor,~ l~lng a~~mples o~ such additivesf which can more pref2ra~1y ~e used at levels from 0.05% to 2%, include ~olyaminccar~o~late addlti~es such zs ethylene-.
inn~etracetic acid, die~hyl3netriamino-pentac tic acid, ethylf~nPAi~;no ~i~UCCiniC acid or the water-soluble alkali metals thereoI. Other additives useful at these levels include org~ phn~.h..l.ic acids; particularly preferred are ethyl~n~ mi no tetramethylen~rh~sFhnnic acid, diethylenetriamino ~P~Ii Ulyl~n~l'h~ h'~ c acid and 'aminotrimethylPl~L-hnsl-hn-.ic acid, hydroxyethylidene ~iphos~hnn;c acid. Bleach s~hili7~rs such as ~ccorhic acid, dip;colin;c acid, sodium stannates, 8 h~dL~.cyq~inol~ne, hydro~ye~hyl-d2ne diphosphonic acid (HEDPj, and diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid) can also be included in these compositions at these levels, more preferably at levels from between 0.01 to 1%.

m e compositions herein can contain a series of further optional ingredients whi&h are mostIy used in additive levels, usually below about 5%. ExamDles of the like include : polyacids, enzymes and enzymatic stabilizing ag~nts, suds r2sulants, opacifi2rs, ag~nts to improve the ~--h1~n~ compati~ y in relation to enamel-coated surfaces, ~act_ricides, dyes, perf-~mes, brighteners, softeners and the like.

~ , '~ :
:
.. ~ ~ , .
- . : .

.

2 ~

~ s descri~ed abo~e, d2t2rg2nt en~imss can ~2 used in the lic~id det~rgsnt c~m~csicior.s a~ ~hls ~v2r.c cn. in fact, one of the d~sirable features of the present compositions is that ~h2y A~Y2 compatible with such detergent en~ymes. Suitable enzymes include the dstergenc proteases, amylases, lipases and c~llulas2s. Enz~nmatic stabili2ir.g ag~nts for us~ n li~-ld dete ger.-a are ~ell kncwn. E~z~me s~Ah;li~;ng ag-~rts, 1L ',1._~d~ ar~ orefe-ably in a range of from about 0. 57 CO ~ . Preiarr~d enzymatic stabil; ~;ng agents for use hersin are formic acid, acetic acid, and salts thereof, e.y. sodium formate and sodium acetate. More preferred stabilizing agents are sodium formate and acetic acid.

Use of the compositions .
The present compositions are mainly intended to be used in the wash cycle of a washing machine; how2ver, o~her U525 can be contemplated, such as pretreatment product for heavily-soiled fabrics, or soaking product; the use is not n~cP~s~rily limited to the washing-machine context, and ~he c~osltions of the prssent invention can be used alone or in combination with compatible han~wash compositions.
.

Some typical liquid detergent compositions of the yLeg~lL invention ha~e the folIowing formulae :

~, , : .

, . . . . .

: ~ :
''"~
: . :

~r/uss 5 ~
-- ~ 5 --~. .'~,.~:S

Lnq~ .2n~ Com~osit.ion ~

II III I'l V ~II

Linaar al~yl ;~ene ~ 13".~ '2 10 ~3 10 12 C, 3--C15 alconol ~r'~r~ 3 ~ 10 5 3 C13-C15 alcoh~1 a~ y~ 3 ~ 7 ) ~ 2 4 Citric ~cid 2 . 5 3 . 5 4 1 2 . 5 3 ~c~lPc-~nyl succ~;llo aci~. 8 . 5 7 6 . 5 10 8 . 5 8 Polymeric car~oxylat2 ~uilder 1.5 1.5 2 1.5 1.5 Tallow fatty acid - 1. 5 2 - - 1 Diethylenetriam~no penta(methylene ~h~ .hn.1it~ acid) 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 lL~cU-yl~lene A~i~ho~ .n~i C acid O.2 0.2 o.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 Sodium formate 1.5 1 1.5 1.5 1 2 A~etic acid : 1. 4 1. 5 1. 41. 4 2 ~ol 8 10 12 10 14 14 S~diU~ p2L~lc~e ~lo.,y~LcLo ~ 14 Sodium perborat 3 tetra~ydrate - 20 - 22 20 Silicate SiO2 to Na2O ratio 1.6 1 3 Silicate Sio2 to Na2O _atio 2 . 0 - ~ . 1. 5 3 _ _ Sydec~ 120 - - - - 1 4 So~ium hydroxyde up pH 9.5 Water ~ minore (perfume, brightener, enzymes,.. ) h~lAnf~e to 100 , ::

.
' :

" ~, . ,,,-, . . . . .
., ~ , ,~, .
~, : . :

::

Claims (9)

CLAIMS:

1. A stable liquid detergent composition having a pH of at least 8 and less than about 11, characterized by comprising a solid, water-soluble peroxygen compound suspended in a liquid phase containing water and at least one water miscible organic solvent, the amount of the solid water-soluble peroxygen compound being such that the amount of available oxygen provided by said peroxygen compound is from 0.5% to 3%, said composition containing from 0.5% to 5% by weight of silicate.

2. A detergent composition, according to Claim 1, wherein the silicate is present at a level of from 1% to 3%.

3. A liquid detergent composition according to Claim 1 wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is an aliphatic monoalcohol.

4. A liquid detergent composition according to Claim 2 wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is an aliphatic monoalcohol.

5. A liquid detergent composition according to Claim 2 wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is ethanol, and the water:ethanol ratio of from 8:1 to 1:3, preferably 5:1 to 1:2.

6. A liquid detergent composition according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the solid, water-soluble peroxygen compound is perborate tetrahydrate, and present at levels of from 5% to 30% by weight of the total composition.

7. A composition according to Claim 6 wherein the perborate tetrahydrate bleach is in the form of particles having a weight-average particle diameter of from 0.5 micrometer to 20 micrometer.

8. A composition according to Claim 6 wherein the perborate tetrahydrate particles have been formed by recrystallization of a perborate monohydrate.

9. A composition according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the solid, water-soluble peroxygen compound is a percarbonate.