ES2202881T3 - Aqueous MICROEMULSIONS. - Google Patents

Abstract

A microemulsion comprising: a functionalized hydrocarbon, an anionic surfactant, a diol having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and water.

Description

Aqueous microemulsions

The present invention relates to microemulsions that remain stable when mixed with of a variety of thickeners and organic solvents that they make them particularly useful in cleaning applications that involve the removal of grease, oils, paint films and others organic materials difficult to remove.

Background of the invention

Compositions of cleaning and methods that are for removing organic materials insoluble in water and in which solvent solvents are used Dibasic For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,391 and 4,927,556 describe emulsions of dibasic esters and water, but in general simple emulsions lack the necessary stability to keep dispersed for long periods of time weather.

U.S. Patents No. 5,080,831 and 5,080,822 describe authentic organic solvent solutions not hydrocarbons and non-hydrogenated hydrocarbons that have some water solubilities of 0.2 to 6% in a combination of water and a solubilizer

U.S. Patent No. 5,158,710 describes a microemulsion of non-hydrocarbon organic solvents and non-hydrogenated hydrocarbons having solubilities in 0.2 to 6% water with a solubilizer additive, an enhancer and optionally a coupler. In this patent the improver is a material that improves the cleaning performance of the agent surface active inactivating water hardness, providing alkalinity to help clean and buffer the pH of the composition so that it stays above 7.

Other patents related to emulsions and / or microemulsions include U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,792, which describes a continuous oil-in-water microemulsion, organic solvents and a surface active agent; U.S. Patent No. 2,606,874, which describes a hydrocarbon oil emulsion in which a C7 alkanediol or more; and U.S. Patent No. 4,781,848, which describes hydrocarbon microemulsions for lamination of metals

WO-A-36/16132 describes a cleaning composition that is a microemulsion that it comprises water, a terpenic compound, a pyrrolidine compound and an anionic surface active agent.

Microemulsions have properties that make that they are attractive to be taken in consideration in the formulation of cleaning products. The objective of the present invention is to provide a microemulsion characterized by having a wide range of stabilities compositional and thermal and without losing its identity as microemulsion can be combined with solvents and additives to form several cleaning compositions therewith.

Brief exposition of the invention

The present invention provides a microemulsion which includes:

(a) water,

(b) a functionalized hydrocarbon,

(c) an anionic surface active agent, and

(d) a diol having 2 to 10 atoms of carbon,

the hydrocarbon being functionalized moderately soluble in water within the entire range of stability of the microemulsion and said hydrocarbon being functionalized present in an amount greater than corresponding to its solubility in water, and the hydrocarbon being functionalized selected from among the group members that It consists of esters, diesters, tri esters, tetraesters, acetates and diacetates and lactones, and the surface active agent being a sulfosuccinate The diol is preferably 1,2-hexanediol, and the surface active agent preferred is bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium

The microemulsion of the present invention can further comprise an organic solvent, the solvent being organic mixed with the microemulsion to form a mixture in the that the weight ratio of microemulsion to organic solvent is such that the mixture is a microemulsion.

The present invention provides compositions of cleaning made from microemulsion only or from the microemulsion mixed with an organic solvent or with solvents Organic and / or other additives. In the microemulsion mixtures with  thickening agents or organic solvents, the microemulsion It retains its stability.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a phase diagram pseudoternary representing a microemulsion of the present invention in which the weight ratio of surface active agent to Diol is 50/50.

Figure 2 shows a graph of the sum of the weight percentage of surface active agent plus the percentage in diol weight as a function of δ to α equal to 50 and a temperature of 10 ° C.

Figure 3 shows the behavior in matter of phases for various mixtures of DBE at α = 50 for temperatures from 0 to 80 ° C depending on the weight percentage of surface active agent plus diol at δ equal to 50.

Detailed description

In the sense in which it is used in the present, the word "microemulsion" means a mixture single-phase microstructured in equilibrium of at least three components. Two of the three components of the microemulsion are moderately soluble in each other, as is the case for example oil and water or oil and a polar solvent. The third component is a substance that serves to solubilize one of the two first in the other, such as oil in water or the Water in oil The third component can be an amphiphile, it is say a molecule that contains both hydrophilic and halves lipophilic A microemulsion looks clear to the naked eye, but not It is a solution. A microemulsion can be stable within a wide range of temperatures and concentrations without loss of function or stability In addition, microemulsions can be distinguished from the solutions in which the microemulsions are microstructured and may contain swollen micelles with "oil", a bicontinuous structure, inverted micelles swollen with water or other structures, depending on the amount of "oil" that Be present in the system. The solutions do not present any of These microstructural characteristics. In the sense in which it is used in the previous definition, the word "oil" means the non-surface organic component of the microemulsion In general, microemulsions can present the Tyndall effect of visible light scattering and have low interfacial tensions.

A microemulsion is not an emulsion, and it distinguishes from an emulsion in which the microemulsion is thermodynamically stable, that is in its lowest energy state, while an emulsion is only kinetically stable, that is that the rate at which the emulsified phase is very slow is very slow separate from the water. Although an emulsion can be stable for days, months or even longer, with the passage of time it will become unstable and will be separated in the form of a mixture stratified

The microemulsions have the following identifying characteristics: they are easily prepared based on mix or moderately shake the components together; They are thermodynamically stable and will not separate forming phases separated or settling, provided they retain their identity chemistry without any change in temperature; and if they become unstable due to a change in temperature, the microemulsion is easily restored by heating or cooling the mixture until it is again at a temperature within the range of temperatures at which the thermodynamic stability of the microemulsion

In the formation of a microemulsion the two substances which are mutually insoluble or moderately soluble and a surface-active agent or a mixture of a surface-active agent and a co-adjuvant surface-active agent are generally involved. The formation of a microemulsion can be tested by one of the following test methods: visible light scattering according to the Tyndall effect, dynamic light scattering, X-ray scattering and small angle neutron scattering; all these dispersion techniques being perfectly known. Other important methods include conductivity, NMR (NMR = nuclear magnetic resonance) and fluorescence techniques described in Surfactant Solutions, New Methods of Investigation , R Zana, ed., Marcel Dekker, New York, 1987, and in " Microemulsions ", Ber. Bunsenges Phys. Chem ., 100, 181 (1996) No. 3.

In the sense in which it is used in the present, the expression "surface active agent" means a surface active substance of an anionic type, cationic or not ionic that reduces the surface tension of water.

The functionalized hydrocarbons that form the Microemulsions of the present invention include esters, diesters, tri esters, tetraesters, acetates and diacetates and lactones Of these, the functionalized hydrocarbons that are Preferred to formulate cleaning compositions are esters Dibasic

The functionalized hydrocarbon of the present Invention is moderately soluble in water. The expression "moderately soluble" means that the solubility of the functionalized hydrocarbon in water is less than 10% by weight, and conversely, the solubility of water in the hydrocarbon Functionalized is less than 10% by weight.

The surface active agents that are useful in The microemulsions of the present invention are sulfosuccinates anionic Preferred surface active agents are salts sodium of bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, (bEHSs), di (1,3-dimethylbutyl) sulfosuccinate and diamyl sulfosuccinate. These surface active agents are commercially available either without mixing or in the form of solution (in alcohol or water) under the AEROSOL brand of the Cytec, Inc., of West Patterson, NJ, as AEROSOL-OT (AOT) or AEROSOL-GPG, AEROSOL-MA-80 (MA-80) and AEROSOL-AY (AY), respectively. Another source of surface active agent is the MACKANATE DOS-75 (MACKANATE is a brand of the McIntyre Group Ltd., of University Park, IL, and the product DOS-75 is a mixture of sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate,  water, ethanol and propylene glycol). Among these various agents surface active, bEHSs is the most preferred, followed by order by sodium diamyl sulphosuccinate and the di (1,3-dimethylbutyl) sulfosuccinate sodium

The diols that are useful herein invention are those diols having 2 to 10 carbons, and preferably those in which OH groups are present in  positions 1,2. The diols can be linear or branched and They include functionality in addition to OH groups. The diols Useful include the following: 1,2-butanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, hexanediols, octanediols, 1,2,3-propanediol monoacetate, heptanediols, decanediols, neopentyl glycol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (commonly known as hexylene glycol) and 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol.

The role of diol in the present invention is particularly surprising in the case of 1,2-hexanediol and bEHSs, since the corresponding alcohol, that is hexanol, has no synergy in combination with surface active agents of the present invention. However, there is synergy between the alcohols of lower chains and the surface active agent. This is particularly important, since many agents surfactants that are commercially available are sold in the form of solutions in chain alcohols lower.

The inclusion of diol in microemulsions of the present invention provides a microemulsion having a greater margin of thermal stability at a lower concentration of surface active agent. The practical microemulsions of the present  invention can be formulated at lower levels of content of volatile organic substances (VOC) and with temperatures of higher inflammation compared to known products They are in the form of solutions or emulsions. This is particularly of interest when the microemulsion is used for Formulate cleaning compositions. These microemulsions are stable within a range of temperatures ranging from at least 5 ° C to a temperature as high as 100 ° C.

An important advantage of microemulsions of the present invention is that they can be diluted with organic solvents without loss of function or stability, that is to say that the mixture formed by the microemulsion and the solvent It is also a microemulsion. Such dilute microemulsions have also wide margins of thermal stability resulting from the presence of the diol. These diluted microemulsions are especially of interest to formulate effective cleaning compositions.

They are organic solvents that can be used to dilute the microemulsions of the present invention solvents selected from the group members that consists of alcohols, ketones, esters, acyclic amides, amides cyclic, glycol ethers, acetates, ether acetates glycolics, lactones, sulfoxides, cyclic carbonates, hydrocarbons  aromatic, terpenes, N-methylpyrrolidone and others N-alkyl pyrrolidones, dimethylpiperidone, ether dipropylene glycol monomethyl, propylene carbonate, alkylbenzenes, d-limonene and mixtures of any combination of these compounds. Organic solvents Preferred include N-methylpyrrolidone; dimethylpiperidone; ethers based on ethylene and propylene glycol and their esters, such as propylene glycol methyl ether acetate; propylene carbonate; alkyl acetates such as those sold with the EXXATE brand of EXXON (Houston, TX); esters alkyl phthalic acid; water immiscible ketones; d-limonene; ester alcohols such as sold with the Eastman brand TEXANOL Chemical Company (Kingsport, TN); xylene and other alkylbenzenes and alkylbenzene mixtures such as Aromatic 100 products, 150 and 200 sold by EXXON (outside the United States, "Aromatic" is known as "Solvesso").

The functionalized hydrocarbons of the present invention include dibasic esters, and preferably those esters of adipic, glutaric and succinic acids and alcohols that they have 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters. They are Particularly of interest are dimethyl esters of acids adipic, glutaric and succinic and mixtures of these esters and esters of 2-ethyl succinic acid and acid 2-methylglutaric. (Dimethyl adipate, glutarate of dimethyl and dimethyl succinate are sold individually and in the form of mixtures under the product name DBE of E. I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., located in Wilmington, DE). DBE mixes include the DBE, which is a mixture of each of the three esters wherein the main component is dimethyl glutarate; the DBE-2, which is a mixture of dimethyl adipate in dimethyl glutarate; the DBE-3 which is a mixture of dimethyl glutarate in dimethyl adipate; the DBE-4, which is dimethyl succinate; the DBE-5, which is dimethyl glutarate; the DBE-6, which is dimethyl adipate; the DBE-9, which is dimethyl glutarate in succinate dimethyl; and the DBE-IB, which is a mixture of adipate of diisobutyl esters, adipate, glutarate and succinate.

The microemulsions of the present invention are particularly of interest for the formulation of compositions of cleaning, and especially those containing the esters Dibasic Microemulsions offer advantages as compositions cleaning, compared to solutions and emulsions biphasic Microemulsions have greater stability and the unique property of its facility to be restored by heating or cooling if separation of the microemulsion due to temperature variations of storage. Microemulsions may have a better power of cleaning compared to emulsions or solutions in certain situations, and can be formulated so that they have a lower VOC and sometimes with lower costs compared to authentic solutions.

Cleaning applications for which they are useful microemulsions of the present invention include the cleaning of metal elements, degreasing and removal of paintings The expression "cleaning composition" includes, by example, compositions for degreasing and removing paints.

A cleaning composition of the present invention by mixing the microemulsion of the present invention with an organic solvent and optionally an agent thickener Thickening agents that can be used in this formulation include non-cationic cellulose ether polymers hydrophobically modified and modified, polyurethanes and acids polyacrylic and polyacrylic. Agents can also be used. inorganic thickeners. For example, they are useful here invention stratified water magnesium silicates that are sold as LAPONITE, which is a trademark of the Southern Clay Products of Gonzales, TX. An organic thickening agent preferred is a polyacrylic acid thickener which is sold with the brand PEMULEN of the B.F. Goodrich They are diols useful for formulating the cleaning compositions the 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, the 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol  and neopentyl glycol.

Test methods

Determination of phase limits and construction of the phase diagrams: Samples were prepared based on weighing and individually introducing water (A), the DBE (B), bEHSs (C) and C_ {n} diol (D) in graduated cylinders that had seals and magnetic stir bars. The samples were sealed, and the cylinders graduates were put in constant temperature bathrooms. The samples were then equilibrated in temperature baths constant to the desired temperature with a tolerance of ± 0.05 ° C. While the samples reached thermal equilibrium, they were agitated using the stir bars to so Stir the mixtures.

Once the samples are balanced until temperature of interest, stirring was stopped, and the samples were left at rest so that it could be produced any phase separation before visually observing and record the behavior in terms of phases (evidence of more than one phase). Having observed the behavior in phase matter, the samples were then removed from the bath thermal, and they were allowed to return to temperature environment. Having been balanced at room temperature, the containers containing the samples were opened and were added components from concentrated solutions to make the next concentration to examine. This process was continued to become the amount of sample mix contained in the cylinder too large to be properly agitated or balanced.

Phase limits were determined with a accuracy of ± 0.1 ° C, and was used as the limit point on numerical average of the temperature before and after being crossed phase limits

The present invention is illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

Examples Example 1

They were made as described in the method for the determination of phase limits mixtures of 1,2-hexanediol, water, DBE-5 and BEHSs

The data obtained are illustrated in the Figures. In the Figures, α = B / (A + B); δ = D / (C + D) and γ = (C + D) / (A + B + C + D). According to standard practice, A is the mass of water, B is the mass of the functionalized hydrocarbon, C is the mass of the surface active agent, and D is the mass of the diol in mix. These relationships are often expressed as percentages

Figure 1 shows the microemulsion of the present invention at 20 ° C for a composition containing water, DBE-5 and a mixture of bEHSs and 1,2-hexanediol in a 50:50 weight ratio. The microemulsion zone is the largest shaded part of the Pseudoternary phase diagram. Although these data are given for a specific microemulsion, they are representative of the compositions of the present invention, ie mixtures of other functionalized hydrocarbons, surface agents and Give them with water. The actual weight percentages of the components of the microemulsion will vary with the specific combinations of the functionalized hydrocarbon and diol and agent combinations surface active sulfosuccinate selected. Microemulsions of the present invention are stable within a wide range of temperatures Varying the relative concentrations of the 4 components, microemulsions can be formulated that have Stabilities within the entire temperature range from 5 up to 100ºC or that have stabilities within all range of temperatures between 5 and 100 ° C. The temperature range is limited to the one that goes from 5 to 100ºC only under pressure atmospheric At higher pressures, the stability margin of the microemulsion extends beyond this range of temperatures both in the upper temperature limit and in the lower temperature limit.

Figure 2 illustrates the minimum amount of agent surface active and diol that is necessary to form the microemulsion at 10 ° C and α = 50. The microemulsion zone is the surface identified with the number 1 in the Figure.

Figure 3 shows the behavior in matter of phases depending on the temperature of the DBE family in function of the weight percentage of surface active agent and diol in the mixture in which δ = 50. In the case of each DBE product, the area of the microemulsion is the surface that is on the right of the phase boundary line drawn. Each Figure illustrates the range extensive microemulsion composition of the present invention.

       \ newpage
    

A particular advantage of the present invention is that microemulsions can be prepared that consist of equal fractions of functionalized hydrocarbon and water, which makes these microemulsions suitable for those of a variety of different applications. Formulations, that is mixtures of microemulsions with organic solvents and / or others additives, made from the microemulsion of the present invention can be used as effective solvent substitutes organic in applications such as paint removal, degreasing, resin removal, cleaning of aircraft and vehicles, cleaning of electronic components and other applications of general cleaning.

The diols that are suitable for use in The present invention includes those having 2 to 10 atoms carbon, as is the case for example 1,2-butanediol (BD), 1,2-petanediol (PD), 1,2-octanediol and 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol. The generally preferred diol is 1,2-hexanediol, but in certain specific cleaning formulations they can other diols are preferred instead of hexanediol.

Example 2

This example illustrates a microemulsion that contains water, DBE-5, 1,2-hexanediol and various surface active agents commercial.

AY65 is a mixture of diamyl sulfosuccinate sodium, water, ethanol and methanol. It was of interest to understand if the synergistic effect of diol would be affected by the presence of alcohol, and especially ethanol, since ethanol is a common diluent found in surface active agents commercial. It was found that the presence of ethanol in the agent commercial surfactant causes the amount of Hexanediol that is necessary to form the microemulsion.

Comparisons were made with a second commercial surface active agent containing a 78-80% of di (1,3-dimethylbutyl) sulfosuccinate sodium, 5% isopropanol and 16% water and is sold under the MA-80-1 brand Cytec, Inc. Using chain dihexyl surface active agent more short instead of AOT the effectiveness of the operation of microemulsifying water mixtures and DBE-5

It was tested in the microemulsions of the present invention the GPG surface active agent, which is composed of di (2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (66-72%), ethanol (7-9%) and water (19-27%) and is sold by Cytec under the brand of GPG factory. Again the obtained microemulsions were acceptable. within the temperature range that goes from 5 to 100ºC and were easily diluted by "oil" or water to form microemulsions that had a wide range of compositions.

Example 3

This example illustrates the use of an agent thickener in the microemulsion of the present invention. The microemulsion made according to Example 1 was mixed with 1% in weight of JR-400, which is an ether polymer of unmodified cationic cellulose that is supplied with the name from UCARE by the Amerchol Corporation of Edison, New Jersey. When Thickening agent additions were less than 1.25%, the mixture remained a diaphanous single phase microemulsion. When the addition was greater than 1.5% by weight, an emulsion was formed viscose. These emulsions were stable for several days. The thickened microemulsions with 1% JR-400 in weight had a zero shear viscosity of 0.2 Pa-s (they were 200 times more viscous than water) measured using a Rheometrics Dynamic Stress Model rheometer SR500

Example 4

This example illustrates the addition of several organic solvents to microemulsion. Microemulsions Basics were made by mixing 3.9 g of DBE, 1.2 g of Aerosol-OT, 3.9 g of water, 0.5 g of ethanol and 0.5 g of 1,2-hexanediol. They were mixed with each microemulsion 2.0 g of solvent listed continuation.

In each case, except that of the Aromatic 150, solvent mixtures formed a single phase and were stable microemulsions within the temperature range that goes from 5 to 100 ° C.

The microemulsion that was formed including Aromatic 150 was stable within a range of temperatures that was going from 20 to 75 ° C. At temperatures below 20 ° C, it took place phase separation

Solvent No. of Phases T, ºC NMP one 5-100 dimethylpiperidone one 5-100 ether monomethyl of dipropylene glycol one 5-100 carbonate from propylene one 5-100 Aromatic 150 one 20-75

Example 5

This example illustrates the usefulness of the Microemulsion of the present invention in paint removal. The microemulsion was formed by mixing a DBE, water, agent surface active and diol to obtain the following composition in Weight: 37.5% of DBE, 37.5% of water, 15% of sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and 10% of 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol.

He put a small amount (2-3 ml) of this microemulsion on pine wood boards with the following surface finishes for 60 minutes 25 ° C

a) Marine Paint ("Marine Paint") in three fully cured layers that were a primer layer made to Pettit Specialty Fiberglass Undercoat base and final layers first and second made of high gloss marine paint called Pettit Esaypoly High Gloss Marine Paint.

b) Marine Varnish ("Marine Varnish") applied in three fully cured layers of McCloskey Man-O-War Gloss Spar. The two layers finishes had been diluted 20% before application.

After 60 minutes, the samples they were gently scraped with a smooth metal spatula, and it was assessed the amount of paint removed. In both cases they were all coating layers removed.

Example 6

This example illustrates a composition degreaser in which the microemulsion of the present is used invention.

A prepared microemulsion based on 187.5 g of DBE, 187.5 g of water, 50.0 g of Aromatic 150, 75.0 g of sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and 50.0 g of 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol was tested to determine its ability to clean the following way:

A 4 '' stainless steel ring bolt per 1/4 '' was coated with a thin coating (approx. 0.1 g) of a dirt. Except for the ring, the ring bolt was immersed in approximately 115 g of the microemulsion above indicated for 10 minutes at room temperature with gentle magnetic stirring The bolt was then rinsed with water by immersion for 10 minutes at room temperature, and the bolt was allowed to dry at room temperature for space 24 hours The bolt was then weighed again, and it was determined the amount of dirt removed with respect to the initial amount. This amount was compared to the amount. withdrawal by immersion in water only for 10 minutes

Dirt % in weigh Retired with water with the microemulsion Calcium Fat Conoco HB No. two 0.6% 17.0% Vaseline 1.1% 16.5% Grease Shell Alvania Nº 2 0.0% 32.3% Grease Special Lithium Sta-Lube Nº two 0.0% 41.2%

Example 7

This example illustrates another formulation degreaser in which the microemulsion of the present is used invention. The formulation was made as described below. and was tested as described in Example 6. The data indicated below correspond to the weight removed by the formulation. The weight removed by water is equal to indicated in the table of Example 6.

A 115.5 g microemulsion was prepared DBE, 115.6 g of water, 77.0 g of d-limonene, 46.2 g of bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium and 30.8 g of 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol.

Dirt Weight Withdrawn,% I know HB 20.2 Vaseline 55.4 Shell ALVANIA 63.1 Lithium grease Sta-Lube 81.3

       \ newpage
    

Example 8

This example illustrates the usefulness of Neopentyl glycol in a microemulsion of the present invention.

A microemulsion was formed based on mixing 56.4 grams of DBE, 30 grams of MACKANATE DOS-75 (MACKANATE is a trademark of the McIntyre Group Ltd., of University Park, IL; and the DOS-75 product is a mix of sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, water, ethanol and propylene glycol), 13.5 grams of neopentyl glycol and 50.4 grams of water The components were easily mixed with each other by agitation to form a microemulsion transparent.

Example 9

This example illustrates the usefulness of 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (commonly known as hexylene glycol) as the diol in a microemulsion of the present invention.

A microemulsion was prepared based on mixing 4.0 grams of DBE, 1.0 gram of MACKANATE DOS-75, 1.0 gram of 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol and 4 grams of water. The components were easily mixed together with others by stirring to form a microemulsion transparent.

Example 10

This example illustrates the utility of PEMULEN, which It is a polyacrylic acid, to thicken the microemulsions of the present invention PEMULEN is a trademark of the B.F. Goodrich Company, of Cleveland, OH.

A microemulsion was prepared by mixing 3.36 grams of DBE, 1.0 gram of NMP, 1.79 grams of MACKANATE DOS-75, 0.81 grams of neopentyl glycol and 3 grams of  Water. To this microemulsion was added 0.3 grams of PEMULEN 1622. The resulting combination was vigorously stirred. using a magnetic stirrer until it is uniform, transparent and extremely viscous Approximately 2 grams of this formulation thickened were placed on a vertical surface and were observed for a period of 60 minutes. During the observation time, the formulation remained in its original position on the surface without showing signs of flow down.

Example 11

This example shows the use of the formulation of Example 10 in paint removal.

A part of the formulation of Example 10 was laid on a pinewood board that was coated with marine paint as described in Example 5. The board was held upright for 60 minutes, and the formulation sample was then removed by scratching with smooth the surface of the board with a smooth metal spatula. All layers of the paint were removed.

Claims (18)

1. Microemulsion comprising: (a) water, (b) a functionalized hydrocarbon, (c) an anionic surface active agent, and (d) a diol having 2 to 10 atoms of carbon, the hydrocarbon being functionalized moderately soluble in water within the entire range of stability of the microemulsion and said hydrocarbon being functionalized present in an amount greater than corresponding to its solubility in water, and the hydrocarbon being functionalized selected from among the group members that It consists of esters, diesters, tri esters, tetraesters, acetates and diacetates and lactones, and the surface active agent being a sulfosuccinate 2. The microemulsion of claim 1, in the that the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of esters of adipic acids, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters. 3. The microemulsion of claim 2, in the that the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of dimethyl esters of adipic, glutaric and succinic acids and mixtures of these esters 4. The microemulsion of claim 1, which it also comprises an organic solvent, the solvent being organic mixed with the microemulsion to form a mixture in the that the weight ratio of microemulsion to organic solvent is such that the mixture is a microemulsion. 5. The microemulsion of claim 4, in the that the solvent is selected from the group members consisting of alcohols, ketones, esters, acyclic amides, amides cyclic, glycol ethers, acetates, ether acetates glycolics, lactones, sulfoxides, cyclic carbonates, aromatic hydrocarbons, terpenes, N-methylpyrrolidone and others N-alkyl pyrrolidones, dimethylpiperidone, ether dipropylene glycol monomethyl, propylene carbonate, alkylbenzenes, d-limonene and mixtures of any combination of these compounds. 6. The microemulsion of claim 1, in the that the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is 1,2-hexanediol and the hydrocarbon functionalized is selected from among the group members that it consists of esters of adipic, glutaric and succinic acids and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters 7. The microemulsion of claim 1, in the that the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is selected from among the members of the group that consists of neopentyl glycol and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol and the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of esters of adipic acids, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters. 8. The microemulsion of claim 1, in the that the surface active agent is selected from among the members from the group consisting of the sodium salts of bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, di (1,3-dimethylbutyl) sulfosuccinate and diamyl sulfosuccinate. 9. The microemulsion of claim 1, in the that the diol is selected from among the group members that consists of 1,2-butanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, neopentyl glycol, hexanediols, octanediols, 1,2,3-propanediol monoacetate, heptanediols, decanodiols and 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol. 10. The microemulsion of claim 1, which further comprises a thickening agent selected from among the members of the group consisting of cellulose ether polymers cationic unmodified and hydrophobically modified, polyurethanes, polyacrylics and polyacrylic acids. 11. The microemulsion of claim 10, in which the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is selected from among the members of the group that consists of 1,2-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol and the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of esters of adipic acids, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters. 12. Cleaning composition comprising a microemulsion, an organic solvent and optionally an agent thickener, containing the microemulsion: (a) water, (b) a functionalized hydrocarbon, (c) an anionic surface active agent, and (d) a diol having 2 to 10 atoms of carbon, the hydrocarbon being functionalized moderately soluble in water within the entire range of stability of the microemulsion and said hydrocarbon being functionalized present in an amount greater than corresponding to its solubility in water, and the hydrocarbon being functionalized selected from among the group members that It consists of esters, diesters, tri esters, tetraesters, acetates and diacetates and lactones, and the surface active agent being a sulfosuccinate 13. The cleaning composition of the claim 12, wherein the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is selected from among the members of the group that consists of 1,2-hexanediol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, neopentyl glycol and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members from the group consisting of esters of adipic, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters, the solvent is selected from among the members from the group consisting of alcohols, ketones, esters, amides acyclic, cyclic amides, glycol ethers, acetates, acetates of glycol ethers, lactones, sulfoxides, cyclic carbonates, aromatic hydrocarbons, terpenes, N-methylpyrrolidone and others N-alkyl pyrrolidones, dimethylpiperidone, ether dipropylene glycol monomethyl, propylene carbonate, alkylbenzenes, d-limonene and mixtures of any combination of these compounds. 14. The cleaning composition of the claim 12, which has a thickening agent and wherein the thickening agent is selected from the group members consisting of unmodified cationic cellulose ether polymers and hydrophobically modified, polyurethanes, polyacrylics and acids polyacrylics 15. The cleaning composition of the claim 12, wherein the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol and the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of esters of adipic acids, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters. 16. The cleaning composition of the claim 13, wherein the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of dimethyl esters of adipic, glutaric and succinic acids and mixtures of these esters, and the solvent is d-limonene 17. The cleaning composition of the claim 13, wherein the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among the members of the group consisting of esters dimethyls of adipic, glutaric and succinic acids and mixtures of these esters, and the solvent is an alkylbenzene or mixtures of the alkylbenzenes. 18. The cleaning composition of the claim 13, wherein the surface active agent is sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, the diol is neopentyl glycol or 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, and the functionalized hydrocarbon is selected from among members of the group consisting of esters of adipic acids, glutaric and succinic and alcohols having 1 to 12 carbons and mixtures of these esters, the solvent is N-methylpyrrolidone and the thickening agent is a polyacrylic acid.