GB594477A - Polymeric detergents - Google Patents

Abstract

Water-soluble surface-active resinous products are made by heating a phenol substituted by a hydrocarbon radical of at least four carbon atoms with formaldehyde in the proportion of 0.5 to 1 mol. of formaldehyde to 1 mol. of phenol to form a condensate, heating the said condensate with more than 1 mol. of an alkylene oxide, heating the product with an agent such as phosphorus pentachloride to replace the hydroxyl group present by halogen, and heating the halogenated product with an inorganic sulphite. Hydrocarbon radicals specified are n-butyl, iso-butyl, tert-butyl, amyl, tert-amyl, n-octyl, diisobutyl, decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl, butylcyclohexyl, dicyclohexyl. Aryl substituted phenols, such as p-phenyl, p-tolyl and p-naphthyl-phenol, may be employed, as also mixtures of phenols, e.g. of p-tert-amyl- and p-diisobutyl-phenols. The formaldehyde may be used as a solution, as paraformaldehyde, or as a formal or hexmethylene tetramine and may be heated with the phenol in the presence of solvents and/or acid catalysts. Alkylene oxides specified are ethylene, propylene and butylene oxides, and these may be used with an alkali metal hydroxide as catalyst. One to eight mols. of alkylene oxide per mol. of phenol are preferred and proportions of ten to twenty and sixty are mentioned. Alternatives to phosphorus pentachloride are phosphorus oxychloride and thionyl chloride. The sulphite may be that of an alkali or alkaline earth metal. In an example, p-(a ,a ,g ,g -tetramethylbutyl) phenol is reacted with formaldehyde, the condensate is reacted with ethylene oxide, the product reacted with thionyl chloride and the chloro body with sodium sulphite. The products are used in the laundering of cotton fabrics, the scouring of wool, sized, dyed and printed fabrics, the preparation of dispersions, the treatment of leather, dispersing of pigments and in dyeing. Specifications 494,769, 594,475, 594,476, 594,478 and 594,479 are referred to.