CA2299178A1 - Active chlorine preparations containing microencapsulated colorants - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to active chlorine preparations which are characterized in that they contain colorants in microencapsulated form.

Description

Active Chlorine Preparations Containing Microencapsulated Colorants Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to bleaching agents and disinfectants and, more particularly, to active chlorine preparations containing colorants in microencapsulated form.
Background of the Invention In Mediterranean countries and also in the United States, cold water is still predominantly used for washing laundry. The effect of this is that conventional bleaching agents, for example perborates or percarbonates, are hardly used because they do not develop any particular activity at temperatures around 20°C. For this reason, liquid bleaches - generally surface-active preparations containing up to 10% by weight of hypochlorite - are normally added to the wash liquor. Comparable preparations are also used for cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces. An overview of hypochlorite liquors was published, for example, by J. Josa and M. Osset in Jorn. Com. Esp. Deterg. 27, 213 (1997). These hypochlorite liquors rarely contain colorants because colorants are readily oxidized and change color in environments containing active chlorine.
Accordingly, the problem addressed by the present invention was to formulate colorants in a stable manner in preparations containing active chlorine, thereby improving their appearance.
Description of the Invention The present invention relates to active chlorine preparations which are characterized in that they contain colorants in microencapsulated form.
It has surprisingly been found that colorants can be stably formulated in preparations containing active chlorine, thereby improving their appearance, providing they are incorporated in microencapsulated form. The microcapsules are chemically and physically, more particularly spatially, stable in the preparations according to the invention, i.e. the microcapsules do not undergo decomposition or sedimentation in the preparations. In this way, virtually any known colorants can be used in preparations containing active chlorine.
Alkali metal hypochlorites and alkali metal hydroxides The bleaching agents according to the invention normally contain alkali metal hypochlorites, preferably lithium, potassium and in particular sodium hypochlorite, as their active chlorine source. The hypochlorites may be used in quantities of 0.5 to 10% by weight, preferably in quantities of 3.0 to 7.0% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 4 to 6% by weight, based on the preparation. The bleaching agents are normally formulated to have an alkaline pH (pH 12.5 to 14) and, to this end, contain alkali metal hydroxides, for example sodium and/or potassium hydroxide, in quantities - based on the preparation - of 0.5 to 2% by weight and preferably 0.7 to 1.2% by weight.
Microcapsules "Microcapsules" are understood to be aggregates which contain at least one solid or liquid core surrounded by at least one continuous shell.
More precisely, they are normally finely dispersed liquid or solid phases coated with film-forming polymers, in the production of which the polymers are deposited onto the material to be encapsulated after emulsification and coacervation or interfacial polymerization. The microscopically small capsules, also known as nanocapsules, can be dried in the same way as powders. Besides single-core microcapsules, there are also multiple-core aggregates, also known as microspheres, which contain two or more cores distributed in the continuous shell material. In addition, single-core or multiple-core microcapsules may be surrounded by an additional second, third etc. shell. Single-core microcapsules with a continuous shell are preferred. The shell may consist of natural, semisynthetic or synthetic materials. Natural shell materials are, for example, gum arabic, agar agar, agarose, maltodextrins, alginic acid and salts thereof, for example sodium or calcium alginate, fats and fatty acids, cetyl alcohol, collagen, chitosan, lecithins, gelatin, albumin, shellac, polysaccharides, such as starch or dextran, sucrose and waxes. Semisynthetic shell materials are inter alia chemically modified celluloses, more particularly cellulose esters and ethers, for example cellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose, and starch derivatives, more particularly starch ethers and esters. Synthetic shell materials are, for example, polymers, such as polyacrylates, polyamides, polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinyl pyrrolidone.
Although they may be produced in any shape, the microcapsules are preferably substantially spherical. Their diameter along their largest spatial dimension may be between 10 nm (visually not discernible as a capsule) and 10 mm, depending on the substances present in their interior and the application envisaged. Visible microcapsules between 0.1 mm and 7 mm and, more particularly, between 0.4 mm and 5 mm in diameter are preferred. Microcapsules invisible to the naked eye have a diameter of preferably 20 to 500 nm and more preferably 50 to 200 nm. The microcapsules may be obtained by known processes, of which coacervation and interfacial polymerization are the most important. Any commercially available surfactant-stable microcapsules may be used as the microcapsules, including for example the commercial products (the shell material is shown in brackets) Hallcrest Microcapsules (gelatin, gum arabic), Colefica Thalaspheres (maritime collagen), Lipofec Millicapseln (alginic acid, agar agar), Induchem Unispheres (lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose), Unicerin C30 (lactose, micro-crystalline cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose), Kobo Glycospheres (modified starch, fatty acid esters, phospholipids), Softspheres (modified agar agar) and Kuhs Probiol Nanospheres (phospholipids).
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the preparations contain the same microcapsules or different microcapsules in quantities of 0.1 to 10% by weight, more preferably in quantities of 0.2 to 8% by weight and most preferably in quantities of 0.5 to 6% by weight.
Colorants In the context of the present invention, colorants are understood to be any inorganic and organic substances with a coloring effect [DIN 55944 (Nov. 1973)]. Both natural and synthetic colorants may be used. The inorganic colorants are pigments and may even have a filler-like character while the organic colorants encompass both pigments and dyes. The colorants also include, for example, gloss, pearlescent and luminous pigments. These colorants do not include fluorescent dyes, so-called optical brighteners.
Dyes in the context of the invention are colorants which are soluble in solvents and/or binders and which absorb in the visible light region. Both natural dyes, for example flower and plant dyes, and synthetic dyes, for example aromatic or heterocyclic, ionic or nonionic compounds, may be used.
Suitable pigments are, for example, green chlorophthalocyanines (Pigmosol~ Griin, Hostaphine~ Griin), Solar Yellow BG 300 (Sandoz), blue chlorophthalocyanine (Hostaphine~ Blau) and Cosmenyl~ Blau.
An overview of the colorants available in Europe can be found in "Textilbetrieb", Wurzburg, 1978, pp. 51-71. The substances suitable and approved as dyes which are listed, for example, in the publication "Kosmetische Farbemittel" of the Farbstoff Kommission der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, 3rd fully revised edition, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1991, pp. 81-106.
These colorants are used in microencapsulated form in the preparations according to the invention. By this is meant not only the use of a single colorant in microencapsulated form, for example a colorless hypochlorite bleaching agent containing blue microcapsules, but also the use of various colorants in microencapsulated form, for example a colorless hypochlorite bleaching agent containing blue and green 5 microcapsules. This is not meant to imply a limit to the number of microencapsulated colorants used at the same time; for example, the microcapsules may contain three, four or five etc. different colorants.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, non-microencapsulated colorants may also be added to the active chlorine preparations besides microencapsulated colorants. These are understood, for example, to include blue hypochlorite bleaching compositions containing blue and/or red microcapsules. Colored hypochlorite bleaching compositions containing many differently colored microencapsulated colorants are also possible, for example a green hypochlorite bleaching composition containing blue, green, red etc. microcapsules. It is possible in this way to obtain mixtures in which the microcapsules and the compositions according to the invention can contain both identical and different colorants.
The colorants are used in concentrations of preferably 0.05 to 0.4%
by weight and more preferably 0.1 to 0.3% by weight, based on the mixture as a whole.
Seguestering agents If the preparations are used for treating fabrics, it is advisable to add to them electrolytes which act as sequestrants for heavy metal ions and which therefore counteract yellowing of the fabrics. Suitable sequestering agents are, for example, silicates, phosphonic acids and phosphonates, polyacrylic acid compounds, alkali metal carbonates, lignin sulfonates and mixtures of the electrolytes mentioned. The total quantity of sequestrant used is normally 0.1 to 2% by weight, preferably 0.3 to 1.5% by weight and more preferably 0.5 to 1.0% by weight, based on the preparation.

Silicates in the context of the invention are understood to be salts and esters of orthosilicic acid Si(OH)4 and self-condensation products thereof. Accordingly, the following crystalline substances, for example, may be used as silicates:
(a) neosilicates (island silicates) such as, for example, phenakite, olivine and zircon;
(b) sorosilicates (group silicates) such as, for example, thortveitite and hemimorphite;
(c) cyclosilicates (ring silicates) such as, for example, benitoite, axinite, beryl, milarite, osumilite or eudialyte;
(d) inosilicates (chain and band silicates) such as, for example, metasilicates (for example diopside) or amphiboles (for example tremolite);
(e) phyllosilicates (sheet and layer silicates) such as, for example, talc, kaolinite and mica (for example muscovite);
(f) tectosilicates (framework silicates) such as, for example, feldspars and zeolites and clathrasils or dodecasils (for example melanophlogite), thaumasite and neptunite.
In contrast to the ordered crystalline silicates, silicate glasses such as, for example, soda waterglass or potash waterglass are preferably used.
These silicate glasses may be of natural origin (for example montmorillonite) or may have been produced by a synthetic route. In another embodiment of the invention, alumosilicates may also be used.
Typical examples of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal silicates are sodium and/or potassium silicates with a modulus of 1.0 to 3.0 and preferably 1.5 to 2Ø
Phosphonic acids in the context of the invention are understood to be organic derivatives of the acid HP(O)(OH)2; phosphonates represent the salts and esters of these phosphonic acids. The organic phosphonic acids and phosphonates preferably used are known chemical compounds which may be prepared, for example, by the Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction.
They correspond, for example, to formula (I):
O
R -P-OR2 (I) in which R' is an optionally substituted alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing 1 to 22 carbon atoms, preferably 2 to 18 carbon atoms and more preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R2 is hydrogen, an alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal, ammonium, alkylammonium and/or alkanol-ammonium or an optionally substituted alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing 1 to 22, preferably 2 to 18 and more preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms. Typical examples are optionally hydroxy-, nitrilo- and/or amino-substituted phosphonic acids such as, for example, ethyl phosphonic acid, nitrilotris-(methylenephosphonic acid), 1-amino- and 1-hydroxyalkane-1,1-diphosphonic acids. One preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by the use of amine oxide phosphonic acids corresponding to formula (II):

II
HO-P-(CHZ),"(CH)"-N->O (II) I I

in which R3 is hydrogen, a (CH2)m(CHCH3)~NH20 group or an alkali metal, m is a number of 1 to 4 and n has a value of 0 or 1. Amine oxide phosphonic acids are builders or sequestrants which are marketed, for example, by Bozetto (Italy) under the name of Sequion~. They are produced by reacting aminophosphonic acids to form the amine oxide.
According to the invention, both mono- and diamine oxides in the form of the phosphonic acids (or salts) corresponding to formula (II) may be used.
Amine oxide phosphonic acids in which R3 is hydrogen, m = 3 and n = 0 (amine oxide based on aminotrimethylene phosphonic acid) are preferably used.
Polyacrylic acid compounds are understood to be homopolymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid and esters thereof. Besides the acids, esters of the acids with alcohols containing 1 to 12, preferably 2 to 8 and more preferably 3 to 4 carbon atoms may also be polymerized. Polyacrylic acid compounds having a particularly advantageous stabilizing effect are present as alkali metal salts and have an average molecular weight in the range from 1,000 to 10,000 dalton and more particularly in the range from 3,000 to 6,000 dalton. A suitable modified polyacrylate is Norasol~ 470 N
(Rohm & Haas, Germany) which is a polyphosphonoacrylate with a molecular weight of 3,500 dalton.
Surfactants To support their cleaning performance, the preparations may additionally contain chlorine-stable surfactants, preferably fatty acid salts, ether carboxylic acids and salts thereof (alkyl ether carboxylates), alkyl sulfates, alkyl sulfonates, alkyl benzenesulfonates, xylene sulfonates, sarcosinates, taurides, isethionates, sulfosuccinates, betaines, sugar esters and fatty acid-N-alkyl glucamides. Alkyl ether sulfates, amine oxides, alk(en)yl oligoglycosides and fatty alcohol polglycol ethers are preferably used. The surfactants together generally make up from 1 to 15% by weight and preferably from 5 to 10% by weight of the preparations.
Alkyl ether sulfates are anionic surfactants which may be obtained by sulfation of alkyl polyglycol ethers and subsequent neutralization. Alkyl ether sulfates suitable for use in accordance with the invention correspond to formula (III):
R4O-(CH2CH2O)"SO3X (lll) in which R4 is an alkyl group containing 12 to 18 and, more particularly, 12 to 14 carbon atoms, n is a number of 2 to 5 and, more particularly, 2 to 3 and X stands for sodium or potassium. Typical examples are the sodium salts of sulfates of the C~2,~4 cocoalcohol +2, +2.3 and +3 EO adduct. The alkyl ether sulfates may have a conventional or narrow homolog distribution. The alkyl ether sulfates are preferably used in quantities of 1 to 8% by weight, preferably 1.5 to 6% by weight and more preferably 2 to 4% by weight, based on the preparation.
Amine oxides are also known compounds which are occasionally classified as cationic surfactants, but generally as nonionic surfactants.
They are produced by oxidation of tertiary fatty amines, which normally have either one long and two short alkyl chains or two short and one long alkyl chain, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The amine oxides suitable as surface-active ingredients in accordance with the present invention correspond to formula (IV):
Rs R5-N->O (IV) R' in which R5 is a linear or branched alkyl group containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms and R6 and R' independently of one another have the same meaning as R5 or represent an optionally hydroxysubstituted alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Amine oxides corresponding to formula (IV), in which R5 and Rs represent Cw~4 or C~2,~$ cocoalkyl groups and R' represents a methyl group or a hydroxyethyl group, are preferably used.
Amine oxides corresponding to formula (IV), in which R5 represents a 02/14 or C~2,~$ cocoalkyl group and R6 and R' represent a methyl or hydroxyethyl group, are also preferred. The amine oxides are preferably used in quantities of 1.5 to 6% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 2 to 4% by weight, based on the preparation.
Alkyl and alkenyl oligoglycosides are known nonionic surfactants which correspond to formula (V):

(V) R80-[G]P
in which R$ is an alkyl and/or alkenyl radical containing 4 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a sugar unit containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms and p is a number 10 of 1 to 10. The alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides, which are also suitable as surface-active ingredients, may be derived from aldoses or ketoses containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably glucose. Accordingly, the preferred alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides are alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglucosides. The index p in general formula (V) indicates the degree of oligomerization (DP), i.e. the distribution of mono- and oligoglycosides, and is a number of 1 to 10. Whereas p in a given compound must always be an integer and, above all, may assume a value of 1 to 6, the value p for a certain alkyl oligoglycoside is an analytically determined calculated quantity which is generally a broken number. Alkyl and/or alkenyl oligo-glycosides having an average degree of oligomerization p of 1.1 to 3.0 are preferably used. Alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides having a degree of oligomerization of less than 1.7 and, more particularly, between 1.2 and 1.4 are preferred from the applicational point of view. The alkyl or alkenyl radical Ra may be derived from primary alcohols containing 4 to 11 and preferably 8 to 10 carbon atoms. Typical examples are butanol, caproic alcohol, caprylic alcohol, capric alcohol and undecyl alcohol and the technical mixtures thereof obtained, for example, in the hydrogenation of technical fatty acid methyl esters or in the hydrogenation of aldehydes from Roelen's oxosynthesis. Alkyl oligoglucosides having a chain length of C8 to Coo (DP = 1 to 3), which are obtained as first runnings in the separation of technical C8_~$ coconut oil fatty alcohol by distillation and which may contain less than 6% by weight of C~2 alcohol as an impurity, and also alkyl oligoglucosides based on technical C9,~~ oxoalcohols (DP = 1 to 3) are preferred. In addition, the alkyl or alkenyl radical Ra may also be derived from primary alcohols containing 12 to 22 and preferably 12 to 14 carbon atoms. Typical examples are lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, palmitoleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidyl alcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, arachyl alcohol, gadoleyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, erucyl alcohol, brassidyl alcohol and technical mixtures thereof which may be obtained as described above. Alkyl oligoglucosides based on hydrogenated C~2,~4 cocoalcohol with a DP of 1 to 3 are preferred. The glycosides are preferably used in quantities of 1.5 to 6% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 2 to 4% by weight, based on the preparation.
The preparations according to the invention may contain as further surfactants fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers corresponding to formula (VI):
R90(CH2CH20)~H (VI) in which R9 is a linear or branched alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing 6 to 22 and preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms and n is a number of 1 to 10.
Typical examples are products of the addition of on average 1 to 10 and preferably 2 to 5 moles of ethylene oxide onto caproic alcohol, caprylic alcohol, 2-ethylhexyl alcohol, capric alcohol, lauryl alcohol, isotridecyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, palmitoleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidyl alcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, linolyl alcohol, linolenyl alcohol, elaeostearyl alcohol, arachyl alcohol, gadoleyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, erucyl alcohol and brassidyl alcohol and the technical mixtures thereof obtained, for example, in the high-pressure hydrogenation of technical methyl esters based on fats and oils or aldehydes from Roelen's oxosynthesis and as monomer fraction in the dimerization of unsaturated fatty alcohols. Products of the addition of 2 to moles of ethylene oxide onto technical fatty alcohols containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms such as, for example, cocofatty alcohol, palm oil fatty alcohol, palm kernel oil fatty alcohol and tallow fatty alcohol are preferred.
The polyglycol ethers may have a conventional broad homolog distribution, 5 but also a narrow homolog distribution. Mixtures of fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers with a linear and branched alkyl chain have proved to be advantageous by virtue of their favorable thickening effect. In addition, particularly high-performance preparations contain mixtures of various fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers in which one component has an HLB value above 10 and the other an HLB value below 10. The polyglycol ethers are used in quantities of preferably 1 to 5% by weight and more preferably 2 to 4% by weight, based on the preparation.
Thickeners The use of electrolytes is a very simple and inexpensive method of adjusting viscosity. However, it has been found that the presence of chloride ions alongside peroxide can cause pitting in certain textiles through the formation of chlorine. For this reason, organic thickeners are used in one preferred embodiment of the invention. Organic thickeners are, for example, polysaccharides, more particularly xanthan gum, guar guar, agar agar, alginates and tyloses, carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose, also relatively high molecular weight polyethylene glycol monoesters and diesters of fatty acids, polyacrylates (for example Carbopols~ [Goodrich] or Synthalens~ (Sigma]), polyacrylamides, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, aluminas such as, for example, Laponite~ of Southern Clay Products or Zeothix~ of Huber, surfactants such as, for example, ethoxylated fatty acid glycerides, esters of fatty acids with polyols such as, for example, pentaerythritol or trimethylol propane, narrow-range fatty alcohol ethoxylates or alkyl oligoglucosides, which may be added to the preparations in quantities of 0.1 to 2% by weight.

Commercial Applications The preparations according to the invention generally have a non-aqueous component of 5 to 35% by weight and preferably 8 to 15% by weight and are particularly suitable for the treatment of flat textile materials such as, for example, yarns, fabric webs and, in particular, textiles. They are normally used at low temperatures, i.e. at cold-wash temperatures (ca.
to 25°C). Not only are the preparations distinguished by excellent stain removal, they also reliably prevent the deposition of lime and metal traces on the fibers and thus also prevent incrustation and yellowing. Although 10 the actual use of the preparations is directed to the removal of stains during washing, they are also suitable in principle for other applications in which hypochlorite solutions are used, for example for the cleaning and disinfection of hard surfaces. In addition, the preparations may contain perfumes and optical brighteners.
15 The optical brighteners which are used in microencapsulated form in accordance with the present invention are preferably those which are otherwise unstable in active chlorine preparations. Typical examples of suitable optical brighteners are derivatives of diaminostilbene disulfonic acid and alkali metal salts thereof. Suitable optical brighteners are, for example, naphthotriazolestilbenesulfonic acid and derivatives of 4,4'-diamino-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid (flavonic acid), such as in particular the salts of 4,4'-bis-(2-anilino-4-morpholino-1,3,5-triazinyl-6-amino)-stillbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid or compounds of similar structure which, instead of the morpholino group, contain a diethanolamino group, a methylamino group, an anilino group or a 2-methoxyethylamino group. Other brighteners which may be present are those of the substituted diphenyl styryl type, for example alkali metal salts of 4,4'-bis-(2-sulfostyryl)-diphenyl, 4,4'-bis-(4-chloro-2-sulfostyryl)-Biphenyl or 4-(4-chlorostyryl)-4'-(2-sulfostyryl)-diphenyl, methyl umbelliferone, coumarin, dihydroquinolinone, 1,3-diaryl pyrazoline, naphthalic acid amide, benzoxazole, benzisoxazole and benzimidazole systems linked by CH=CH bonds, heterocycle-substituted pyrene derivatives and the like. Mixtures of the brighteners mentioned above may also be used. Naphthotriazolestilbenesulfonic acid is obtainable, for example, in the form of its sodium salt as Tinopal~ RBS 200 (Ciba Geigy) which is also known as Fluorescent Brightener 46. The potassium salt of 4,4'-bis-(1,2,3-triazolyl)-(2)-stilbine-2,2-sulfonic acid marketed under the name of Phorwite~ BHC 766 is preferred. The microcapsules generally contain the optical brighteners in quantities of 1 to 95% by weight, preferably in quantities of 10 to 60% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 25 to 50% by weight, based on the weight of the capsules.
Ther perfumes used in microencapsulated form in accordance with the invention are preferably perfumes which would otherwise be unstable in active chlorine preparations. Typical examples of suitable perfumes are tetrahydromyrcenol and mixtures of natural and synthetic perfumes.
Natural perfumes include the extracts of blossoms (lily, lavender, rose, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang), stems and leaves (geranium, patchouli, petitgrain), fruits (anise, coriander, caraway, juniper), fruit peel (bergamot, lemon, orange), roots (nutmeg, angelica, celery, cardamom, costus, iris, calmus), woods (pinewood, sandalwood, guaiac wood, cedarwood, rosewood), herbs and grasses (tarragon, lemon grass, sage, thyme), needles and branches (spruce, fir, pine, dwarf pine), resins and balsams (galbanum, elemi, benzoin, myrrh, olibanum, opoponax). Animal raw materials, for example civet and beaver, may also be used.
Typical synthetic perfumes are products of the ester, ether, aldehyde, ketone, alcohol and hydrocarbon type. Examples of perfume compounds of the ester type are benzyl acetate, phenoxyethyl isobutyrate, p-tert.butyl cyclohexylacetate, linalyl acetate, dimethyl benzyl carbinyl acetate, phenyl ethyl acetate, linalyl benzoate, benzyl formate, ethylmethyl phenyl glycinate, allyl cyclohexyl propionate, styrallyl propionate and benzyl salicylate. Ethers include, for example, benzyl ethyl ether while aldehydes include, for example, the linear alkanals containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms, citral, citronellal, citronellyloxyacetaldehyde, cyclamen aldehyde, hydroxy-citronellal, lilial and bourgeonal. Examples of suitable ketones are the ionones, a-isomethylionone and methyl cedryl ketone. Suitable alcohols are anethol, citronellol, eugenol, isoeugenol, geraniol, linalool, phenylethyl 5 alcohol and terpineol. The hydrocarbons mainly include the terpenes and balsams. However, it is preferred to use mixtures of different perfume compounds which, together, produce an agreeable fragrance.
Other suitable perfumes are essential oils of relatively low volatility which are mostly used as aroma components. Examples are sage oil, 10 camomile oil, clove oil, melissa oil, mint oil, cinnamon leaf oil, lime-blossom oil, juniper berry oil, vetiver oil, olibanum oil, galbanum oil, labolanum oil and lavendin oil. The following are preferably used either individually or in the form of mixtures: bergamot oil, dihydromyrcenol, lilial, lyral, phenylethyl alcohol, a-hexylcinnamaldehyde, geraniol, benzyl acetone, cyclamen 15 aldehyde, linalool, Boisambrene Forte, Ambroxan, indole, hedione, sandelice, citrus oil, mandarin oil, orange oil, allylamyl glycolate, cyclovertal, lavendin oil, clary oil, ~i-damascone, geranium oil bourbon, cyclohexyl salicylate, Vertofix Coeur, Iso-E-Super, Fixolide NP, evernyl, iraldein gamma, phenylacetic acid, geranyl acetate, benzyl acetate, rose oxide, romillate, irotyl and floramate.
Besides the perfumes mentioned above, microencapsulated perfumes stable to hypochlorite may of course also be used, including for example citronellol (3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-1-ol), dimethyl octanol (3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol), hydroxycitronellol (3,7-dimethyloctane-1,7-diol), mugol (3,7-dimethyl-4,6-octatrien-3-ol), myrcenol (2-methyl-6-methylene-7-octen-2-0l), tetrahydromyrcenol (THM, 2,6-dimethyloctan-2-ol), terpinolene (p-mentho-1,4-(8)-diene), ethyl-2-methyl butyrate, phenyl propyl alcohol, galaxolide (1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopental-2-benzopyran), tonalide (7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl tetrahydronaphtha-lene), rose oxide, linalol oxide, 2,6-dimethyl-3-octanol, tetrahydroethyl linalool, tetrahydroethyl linalyl acetate, o-sec.-butyl cyclohexyl acetate and isolone diphorenepoxide and also isoborneal, dihydroterpineol, isobornyl acetate, dihydroterpenyl acetate). Other suitable perfumes are the substances mentioned columns 3 and 4 of European patent application EP
0622451 A1 (Procter & Gamble). The microcapsules contain the perfumes in quantities of generally 1 to 95% by weight, preferably 50 to 80% by weight and more preferably 60 to 70% by weight, based on the weight of the capsule.
The preparations according to the invention are prepared by stirring.
The product obtained may optionally be decanted or filtered to remove foreign bodies and/or agglomerates. In addition, the preparations have a viscosity above 100 and preferably above 200 mPas, as measured at 20°C
in a Brookfield viscosimeter (spindle 1, 10 r.p.m.).
Examples Pigments in microcapsule form and, optionally, pure pigments were added to various hypochlorite solutions. Examples 1 to 5 of the preparations according to the invention are set out in Table 1.

Table 1 Composition of the bleaching agents #" s~~,.,. ,~"~a~''x ~:, '~,,:" ~~; Q ,~,. ,,~px a~...1 a n~ t , ~j,~t~, w,, P.a~~ , " ~~4~~~a~ i' i..:~ ~i,a'.,~hia "" a'~
~' ,~ d ,~' 4 . ~~
'G, ";., z.. r .., ~bj~ ,v, , av", ; f-~.
,. Wd#'H"~.'h a~.~~; ~ I ~ d ~ ~:I, 10.Y
, $ > a" !G~ a ~ t u"1P, " .?, a"~3 a, . 4.. . , ~ a ", Sodium hypochlorite 4 1 4 4 4 Sodium hydroxide 0.7 1 0.9 0.7 0.9 Cocofatty alcohol+2E0 - 2 1 - 1 sulfate Na salt Lauryl dimethyl amine - 1 - - 2 oxide Sodium silicate's 0.95 0.1 - 0.95 -Amine oxide phosphonic 0.1 - - 0.1 -acid2~

Polyacrylate3~ 1 1 1 1 1 Polyacrylate4~ 0.05 - - 0.05 -Tetrahydromyrcenol - 0.02 - - 0.02 Microcapsules5~ Solar 0.3 0.2 0.1 - -Yellow Microcapsules5~ Cosmenyl~- 0.2 - 0.2 0.1 Blau Microcapsules5~ Hostaphine~- - 0.1 - 0.1 Griin Microcapsules5~ Hostaphine~- - 0.1 - 0.1 Blau Solar Yellow BG 300 - - - 0.2 -Cosmenyl~ Blau - - - - 0.1 Hostaphine(~ Blau - - - - -Water to 100 '~ modulus 2.0; 2~ Sequion~ (Bozetto); 3~ Carbopol 497 (Goodrich); 4~ Nora-sol~ LMW 45 N (sodium salt, MW = 4500, NorsoHaas); 5~ shell material:
sodium alginate

Claims (11)

1. Active chlorine preparations, characterized in that they contain colorants in microencapsulated form.

2. Preparations as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that they additionally contain non-microencapsulated colorants.

3. Preparations as claimed in claim 1 and/or 2, characterized in that the preparations and microcapsules contain identical or different colorants.

4. Preparations as claimed in claim 1 and/or 2, characterized in that they contain 0.5 to 10% by weight, based on the preparation, of alkali metal hypochlorites.

5. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that they contain 0.5 to 2% by weight, based on the preparation, of alkali metal hydroxides.

6. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that they contain 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the preparation, of microcapsules containing colorants.

7. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that they contain microcapsules of which the shell substance is selected from the group consisting of gum arabic, agar, agarose, maltodextrins, alginic acid, alginates, fats and fatty acids, cetyl alcohol, collagen, chitosan, lecithin, gelatin, albumin, shellac, polysaccharides, celluloses, cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, starch ethers, starch esters, polyacrylates, polyamides, polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl pyrrolidone.

8. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that they contain microcapsules of which the diameter along their largest spatial dimension is 0.01 to 10,000 µm.

9. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that they additionally contain sequestrants, surfactants and organic thickeners.

10. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the microcapsules additionally contain optical brighteners and/or perfumes.

11. Preparations as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that they have a Brookfield viscosity above 100 mPas.