CA2329959A1 - Stable quaternary ammonium compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides stable compositions comprising ester-containing quaternary ammonium material and one or more stabilising agent(s) chosen from: a) urea, b) urea derivatives, c) organic compounds with at least one free lone pair of electrons chosen from: i) primary amines, ii) secondary amines, and/or iii) tertiary amines, iv) glycerol wherein the composition is a liquid, molten or semi-solid containing % or less water, and when glycerol is used the ammonium material has 2 or less CH3 groups attached to the quaternary nitrogen atom.

Claims (10)

1. Stable compositions comprising quaternary ammonium material materials containing at least one ester group characterised in that they further comprise one or more stabilising agent(s) chosen from;
a) urea b) urea derivatives c) one or more organic compounds having at least one free lone pair of electrons chosen from;
i) primary amines RNH2, where R is a C3-17 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or substituted derivative thereof, ii) secondary amines, and/or iii) tertiary amines NR1R2R3 wherein R1R2R3 are independently C1-C22 alkyl, alkenyl or hydroxyalkyl groups or substituted derivatives thereof, and wherein when both R1 and R2 are -CH2CH2OH or both R1 and R2 are -CH2CH2OCOR4, R4CO is C16-18, then R3 is not a methyl group with the proviso that the composition is in a liquid, molten or semi-solid form containing 10% or less water, and wherein the stabilising agent is present at levels of 0.05 to 10% by weight of the weight of the quaternary ammonium material, preferably 0.5 to 8.5%, even more preferably 0.75 to 5%.

2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the stabilising agent is urea or a tertiary amine wherein R1 and R2 are C1-C2 alkyl groups and R3 is a C2 - C4 hydroxyalkyl, preferably N-N-dimethyl ethanolamine.

3. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the quaternary ammonium material is of formula where each R1 group is independently selected from C1-4 alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or C2-4 alkenyl groups; and each R2 group is independently selected from C8-28 alkyl or alkenyl groups; X is any suitable counterion,~~

T is and n is an integer from 1-5 or is 0.

4. A composition according to claim 3 wherein where each R1 group is methyl, each R2 group is tallow, X- is chloride and n is 2.

5. A process of stabilising quaternary ammonium material containing at least one ester group via the steps of adding at least one stabilising agent of claim 1 to the quaternary ammonium material wherein the stabilising agent is present at levels of 0.05 to 10% by weight of the weight of the quaternary ammonium material, preferably 0.5 to 8.5%, even more preferably 0.75 to 5%.

6. Process according to claim 5 wherein addition of the stabilising agent occurs during the manufacture of the quaternary ammonium material, preferably following the quaternisation step in the synthesis of the quaternary ammonium material.

7. Process according to either claim 5 or claim 6 wherein addition of the stabilising agent occurs after manufacture of the quaternary ammonium material, preferably during storage thereof.

8, A solid rinse conditioner comprising a composition as defined in cry of claims 1-4, preferably in granular or powdered form.

9. A liquid rinse conditioner made by dilution of a composition as defined in any of claims 1-4, with water.

10. Method of reducing the alkyl halide levels in quaternary ammonium material containing at least one ester group over time by the addition of a stabilising agent as defined in claim 1 wherein the stabilising agent is present at levels of 0.05 to 10% by weight of the weight of the quaternary ammonium material, preferably 0.5 to 8.5%, even more preferably 0.75 to 5%.