FR2528864A1 - CONCENTRATED SOFTENER COMPOSITIONS FOR TEXTILES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION PROVIDES SOFTENING, AQUEOUS, CONCENTRATED, STABLE SOFTENER COMPOSITIONS BASED ON TWO LONG CHAIN AND TWO SHORT CHAIN AMMONIUM SALTS USING NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS HAVING A HLB.5 VALUE. AND 17.5, AND A WATER-SOLUBLE ELECTROLYTE. THE SOFTENING COMPONENT REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 12 TO 20 BY WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION; THE NON-IONIC AGENT REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 1 TO APPROXIMATELY 5 BY WEIGHT, AND THE ELECTROLYTE REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 0.1 TO APPROXIMATELY 1.5 BY WEIGHT. THE INVENTION ALSO DESCRIBES METHODS OF MAKING THE COMPOSITION.

Description

The present invention relates to softening compositions for

  fabrics, for use in the rinse cycle of a laundry washing process, and in particular fabric softener compositions, aqueous, concentrated, which are stable at temperatures

  low and high ambient peratures, i.e.

  say compositions of this type which do not form a gel and which are easily dispersed in water during their use. Compositions containing quaternary ammonium salts, comprising at least one long-chain hydrocarbon group are commonly used to allow softening of the tissues when they are used

  during the rinsing of the laundry; for example, see the briefs

  vets from the United States of America No. 3,349,033; no 3,644,203

  No. 3,946,115; No. 3,997,453; no 4,073,735 and no 4,119,545.

  For most softening compositions

  Since aqueous solutions contain cationic quaternary ammonium compounds as active ingredients, the concentration of these cationic compounds has generally been limited to a proportion of about 3 to 6% by weight (see U.S. Patent No. 3 904 533 and NO 3 920 565) This low concentration is generally imposed because cationic compounds form gels in aqueous systems at concentrations greater than approximately 8%, and

  although the use of electrolytes to reduce the vis-

  cosity of these compositions is known (see in particular the patent of the United States of America No. 4,199,545), these electrolytes are far from satisfactory From the functional point of view, the electrolytes often do not fill

  not the role you expect, especially at concen-

  about 12 to 10% of the cationic compounds in addition. Although the behavior of the electrolytes may partially alleviate the gelation problem,

  their use is far from satisfactory for providing

  to define a highly concentrated aqueous system of ca-

  which does not gel or whose viscosity is not severely modified in the usual range of temperatures encountered in its handling, for example

  around -18 C up to around 60 C Patent of the States-

  United States of America No. 3,681,241 describes a softened emulsion

  concentrated tissue health, which essentially consists of 3.5 to 6.5 parts by weight of a compound represented for example by distearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride,

  3.5 to 6.5 parts by weight of an alkylamido alkyl sulphate

  imidazolinium, and O 3 parts by weight of a different but similar fatty amidoimidazolinium alkyl sulfate, this

  the latter allegedly providing stability at low -

  composition temperature All of the substances

  assets considered is between 8 and 13% approximately.

  British patent application No. 2,053,249 A

  published February 4, 1981 describes assou-

  cationic fabric plasters, containing 15 to 60% by weight of cationic softener, 25 to 75% by weight of a

  aqueous medium and 0.5 to 40% by weight of a particulate polymer

water-soluble base.

  U.S. Patent 3,974,076

  describes a softening composition containing ammonia

  quaternary nium of conventional cationic concentrations, that is to say approximately 3% to approximately 6% These compositions are characterized by the very small particle size

  softener compound based on quaternary ammonium

  so insoluble in water, i.e. 90% by weight of the quaternary ammonium compounds exist under the

  form of particles passing through a 1.2 micrometer filter.

  The compositions are described as a combination of the cationic softener, a C 8 to C 20 alkyl alcohol, in a proportion of about 0.1% to about 2.0% of a

  nonionic surfactant having a hydrophilic equilibrium value

  the lipophilic (HLB) of between approximately 8 and approximately 15,

  and preferably between about 10 and about 14 The sub-

  preferred nonionic stanzas have a hydrocarbon fraction

  born / lipophilic corresponding to 9 to 15 carbon atoms with 7 to 13 hydrophilic ethylene oxide fractions This patent

  does not mention the problem of the stability of the components.

  concentrated aqueous cationic softeners,

  but rather concerns the improvement of the degree and the

  easing flexibility using conventional concentrations. The present invention relates to softener compositions, aqueous, concentrated, stable at low and high temperature, based on softening compounds of the quaternary ammonium type and a minor amount of a nonionic surfactant and of an electrolyte.

  The invention also relates to a method for producing

  add highly concentrated softening compositions

for fabrics.

  The compositions of the present invention are stable aqueous compositions which contain a high concentration of the cationic fabric softener, which is a water dispersible quaternary ammonium compound, as described below, a nonionic surfactant and

an electrolyte.

  The aqueous compositions according to the present invention contain at least about 12 to about 20%

  cationic softener, corresponding to the general formula

rale I:

R-N R Y

R_

  in which the R groups are chosen from radicals

  aliphatic C 1 to C 30, preferably alkyl or alkenyl, aryl (for example phenyl, tolyl, cumyl, etc.); aralkyl (e.g. benzyl, phenethyl, etc.); and their halogen, amido, hydroxyl and carboxy substituents; provided that at least one of the symbols R is a radical in C 14 to C 30, preferably in C 14 to C 18, and that the others

  are lower alkyl radicals, and preferably

  core, that at least two symbols R are C 14 to C 18 radicals and that the others are C 1 to C 4 alkyl radicals (and better still methyl or ethyl), and Y is a solubilization anion in l water, for example chloride, bromide, iodide, fluoride, sulfate, methosulfate, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and carboxylate (i.e. acetate, adipate, propionate, ohtalate, benzoate, oleate, etc.) Examples of compounds cationic compounds of formula I include the following: distearvldimethyl-amnonium chloride di-tallow-dimethyl-ammonium chloride dihexadecyl-dimethyl-amnoriium distearyl-dimethyl-ammonium bromide di (hydrogenated tallow) dimethyl-ammonium distearyl chloride, di (isopropyl) ammonium distearyl dimethv-ammonium methosulfate The nonionic component of the compositions of the invention comprises approximately 1 to approximately 5% by weight of

  the composition, and in general, it may vary with the assou-

  cationic wrinkling in a weight ratio of the cationic component to the nonionic component of between about 20: 1 and about 3: 1, and preferably between about 10: 1

  and about 5: 1 Non-ionic compounds are pro-

  condensing tubes of ethylene oxide and alcohols

  C 12 to C 20 aliphatics and alkylphenols, are characterized

  health by an HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) of 16.5

  + 1.0 A detailed description of the HLB system can be found

  in "The HLB System" (1976 edition 16 pages) published

  by HERE United States, Inc, and we refer to this cita-

  In general, the nonionic compounds as envisaged in the invention are hydrophilic in nature with an important and strong hydrophilic group. In the present invention, this group is an oxyethylated chain generally of at least about 15 terminal oxyethyl groups (i.e. the groups

  oxyethyl are contiguous and end in a hydro-

xyle).

  Particularly suitable nonionic surfactants include a C 1315 aliphatic alcohol

2528 & 64

  containing 20 moles of condensed ethylene oxide and available

  ble under the name "Synperonic A 20"; an ethoxylated octylphenol with 16 moles of ethylene oxide available under the designation "Triton X-165" and an ethoxylated nonylphenol with 30 moles of ethylene oxide available under the desi-

"Dowfax NP 30" generation.

  A third preferred ingredient is an electro-

  lyte (ionic) in a proportion of about 0.1 to about 1.5% by weight The use of an electrolyte is not used

  only to adjust the viscosity, but it also promotes

  the stabilization of the system against gelation and phase inversion at high temperatures, by

  example above about 400 C Partial electrolytes

  especially suitable include sodium chloride

  and calcium chloride Other interesting electrolytes-

  health to use include sodium formate,

  sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium acetate

  dium, among others, as well as the water-soluble salts of

  very cations such as potassium, lithium, magnesium, ammo-

  nium, etc. Minor amounts of lower alkanols

  can be used, especially if you want to

  further modify viscosity In general, alcohols tend to reduce viscosity at ambient temperatures,

  although moderate amounts may reduce the temperature

  phase inversion rature The preferred compositions of the present invention have inversion temperatures

  phases greater than about 800 C and preferably greater than

  about 900 C, with proportions of alcohol

  taken between about 1 and about 10% by weight of al-

  particularly suitable cools are ethyl alcohol

and isopropyl alcohol.

  In addition to the above components,

  softeners of the present invention, there may also be incorporated many conventional, additional and optional ingredients which do not adversely affect the stability and / or functional characteristics of the compositions of the invention. Thus, for example, there may be have common perfumes,

  dyes, pigments, opacifying agents, germi-

  cides, optical brightening agents, anti-corrosion agents (for example sodium silicate), water-soluble polymers, antistatic agents, etc. When used, each of them can constitute 0 .01% to about 5% in

weight of the composition.

  We know, and this is obvious, that most of the disoonible chemicals, and in particular those

  which contain a hydrocarbon fraction, are generally-

  mixtures of closely related fractions.

  Thus, the long chain alkyl (R) substituents of the cationic compounds used in the present invention may not only have a single carbon chain length, but are more likely to be a mixture In this regard, a quaternary group particularly useful in

  which the tallow alkyl groups may contain

  define about 35% of C 16 radicals and 60% of C 18 radicals, and small amounts of C 14 radicals and even

  others Analogously, alcohol precursors

  phatic intended for the nonionic compounds used in the present invention can have only one length of carbon chain, but more probably, there still,

  it can be a mixture in any proportion of the compounds

  with usable chain length.

  Fabric softening compositions

  of the present invention must have, in addition to the screw-

  cosity and phase stability, viscosity (i.e.

  say they should be able to be paid) and the

  sability in water required during the rinsing cycle (or any other form of dilution before use) that consumers have been led to accept and ask for the use of less concentrated products.

  products envisaged by the invention may have screws

  cosities between approximately 30 c Po and approximately 250 c Po,

  and preferably between about 40 c Po and about 120 c Po.

  The general processes for preparing the

  positions are numerous, the final product varying some

  little stability The processes differ in order of ad-

  edition of the materials as well as the operating conditions.

  A preferred process (A) is to add the

  non-ionic materials and the dye by weight

  mulation which is about 70 C To this solution, we add

  slowly the cationic softener in melted form.

  Generally, a gel is formed. The mixture is cooled to approximately 40 ° C., then the electrolyte is added to break

  the gel The composition is then cooled to the temperature

  ambient temperature with stirring A variant of the process (A) consists in adjusting the p H to approximately 12 before the addition of the molten cationic material In this case, it does not form a gel After cooling to approximately 40 ° C., the p H

  is readjusted to 5-6, cooled with stirring to temperature

  rature room, then use the electrolyte to adjust the viscosity (Process B) Another process (C) is to add the nonionic materials to at least 80% lukewarm water (not more than about 40 C), then l electrolyte, and finally the molten cationic material The rest of the water, if there is any, is then added, and the composition is

  then cooled with stirring to room temperature.

  The following nonlimiting examples illustrate

  The invention The parts are expressed by weight except where indicated.

opposite cation.

Example 1.

  Following the procedure (A) described above

  above, 2 parts of an ethoxylated nonylphenol (containing 16 moles of ethylene oxide) are dissolved in approximately 75 parts of water at a temperature of approximately 70 C.

  slowly to this solution 20 parts of dis

  tearyl dimethyl ammonium (75% active and containing about% isopropanol, the rest being water) in the form

  melted (temperature = 55 C) with stirring A gel is formed.

  The gel is cooled to about 40 ° C., then 0.5 parts are added.

  dehydrated calcium chloride tie The metal is cooled

8 2528864

  lange up to room temperature (around 20 C) with stirring A stable product with viscosity is obtained

about 100 c Po.

Example 2.

  The procedure of Example 1 is repeated using the following parts of (A) cationic (active) material, (B) surfactant, and (C) electrolyte (a) A = 12; B = 1.0; C = O 05 (b) A = 14; B = 1.5; C = 0.5 (c) A = 16; B = 1.8; C 0.7 (d) A = 18 B = 2.5; C = 1.0

Example 3.

  The procedures of Examples 1 are repeated

  and 2 using instead of distearyl dimer chloride

  thylammonium the following compounds: (a) di-tallow-dimethylammonium chloride (b) distearyl dimethylammonium methosulfate (c) di (hydrogenated tallow) dimethyl ammonium bromide (d) di-hexadecyl-dimethylammonium chloride (e) distearyl diethyl ammonium chloride

Example 4.

  The procedures of Examples 1 are repeated,

  2 and 3 adding in all cases 1 part of poly-

  ethylene glycol (molecular weight 400) with the material

  non-ionic in the first step of the preparation process

  tion. Polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 400) is representative of the water-soluble polymers of low molecular weight which can optionally be used in

  the softening compositions of the present invention.

  Among other interesting polymers, reference is made to the

  British patent application No. 2,053,249 A above above

  For reference herein, the compositions of the present invention may contain any or all of these polymers as well as other water-soluble polymers. In the compositions of the present invention, 0.1% may be used. 20%

  by weight of the total composition of these materials.

Example 5.

  Each of Examples 1 to 4 is repeated above, using as electrolyte the following compounds (a) sodium chloride (b) sodium nitrate (c) sodium formate (d) ammonium bromide (e) potassium chloride (f) calcium nitrate (g) lithium acetate

(h) magnesium chloride.

Example 6.

  % Each of the examples 1 to 5 is repeated as regards the composition, but following the process (B) for the

  preparation of the compositions In this process, the varian-

  te of the procedure described in Example 1 consists in adjusting the p H to 12 using sodium hydroxide after dissolution of the nonionic agent (and optionally polyethylene glycol), and in readjusting the p H at 5-6 with hydrochloric acid after the addition of the cationic compound At this time, a gel does not form as in process (A) The electrolyte is added after the mixture has been

  cooled to room temperature.

Example 7.

  Each of the examples 1 to 5 is repeated again, as regards the composition, but following the process (C)

  next for the preparation of the compositions.

  In this process, the nonionic agent (and optionally the water-soluble polyethylene glycol) is dissolved in 80% of the weight of water in the formulation at a temperature of 35-400 ° C. The electrolyte is then added, followed by the molten cationic compound. remaining weight of water is then added, then the mixture is cooled

  to room temperature with stirring.

  The aqueous softening compositions of the present invention are generally applicable like the other compositions, in particular useful in the rinsing cycle of an automatic washing machine. In these operations, as well as in any other desired method of treating the laundry, the compositions are generally used to generally provide a concentration of active substances of approximately 0.005% to 0.3% based on the weight of the laundry treated, preferably 0.007% to approximately

  0.2%, and more preferably about 0.01% to about 0.15%.

Claims (9)

  1 Fabric softening composition, concentrated, aqueous, stable, characterized in that it contains (A) 12 to 20% by weight of a cationic softening agent of formula: 0 N / N X lR R +   in which R 1, R 2, R 3 and R 4 are aliphatic radicals   ques in C 1 to C 30, at least two of them being ra-   C 14 -C 30 alkyl dicals; (B) 1 to 5% by weight of a nonionic surfactant having an HLB of 16.5 + 1.0; and (C)   0.5 to about 5% by weight of an electrolyte.   2 Composition according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that A is distearyl dimethyl chloride- ammonium.   3 Composition according to claim 2, charac-   terized in that the nonionic surfactant is a nonyl-   ethoxylated phenol having an average of about 16 moles of ethylene oxide.   4 Composition according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that the ratio of (A) to (B) is approximately : 1 to 3: 1.   5 Composition according to claim 4, charac-   terized in that the amount of compound (A) is approximately   12% and that of compound (B) is approximately 2%.   6 Composition according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that the total concentration of agent assou-   wrinkling is about 12 to 15% by weight.   7 A method of preparing a composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in first preparing an aqueous solution of the nonionic surfactant in lukewarm water at a temperature up to about 800 C, then adding l cationic fabric softener   the molten form to form a gel, to cool this gel over   below 40 C, then add the electrolyte to break 12 2528864 the freeze.   8 Method according to claim 7, charac-   terified in that the temperature of lukewarm water is   about 70 C, the gel is cooled to an immediate temperature.   less than 40 C, then when the gel is broken, the mixture is cooled to room temperature with stirring. 9 A process for the preparation of a composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in first of all preparing an aqueous solution of the nonionic surfactant in lukewarm water at a temperature which can reach approximately 80 ° C., adjusting the p H with an alkaline material at more than approximately 10, to add the softener ctionic in molten form, to readjust the p H below 7, to cool approximately to room temperature,   then add the electrolyte to adjust the viscosity.   Process for the preparation of a composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in first of all preparing an aqueous solution of the surfactant   non-ionic, then add the electrolyte, then dry it   cationic folding in melted form and to be cooled ambient temperature.