GB678561A - Compositions for sizing and other purposes and processes involving their use - Google Patents

Abstract

An emulsifiable composition, particularly suitable for preparing aqueous emulsions to be used in the sizing of fibrous materials (see Groups V and VIII), comprises a hydrocarbon, particularly a cyclic extract of a mineral oil, and a salt or salts of one or more naphthenic acids of acid number or acid numbers less than 200. The emulsifiable composition may also contain one or more of these naphthenic acids in the free state or supplementary emulsifying agents such as soap, higher alkyl sulphate salts, organic sulphonic acid salts, e.g. alkyl aryl sulphonates, or sodium rosinate. Suitable cyclic extracts are obtained by extracting mineral oils, for example petroleum oil, shale oil, or the pyrolysis or hydrogenation products of coal, with solvents which are selective for non-paraffinic constituents; such extracts are of predominantly aromatic and naphthenic nature. In general, aqueous emulsions prepared from the emulsifiable compositions are of the water-in-oil type when they contain water in an amount less than 40 per cent by weight of the emulsion, and of the oil-in-water type when they contain water in an amount greater than 40 per cent, while an emulsion of the water-in-oil type may be converted into one of the oil-in-water type by dilution with water. Instead of preparing the emulsifiable composition and emulsifying it with water, a mixture of the cyclic extract and one or more of the naphthenic acids may be emulsified with an aqueous alkaline agent. Suitable alkaline agents are the hydroxides or carbonates of alkali metals or ammonia, particularly those of sodium or potassium, the hydroxides of alkaline earth metals, particularly those of calcium or magnesium, and organic bases, such as aliphatic, alicyclic or aromatic, primary, secondary or tertiary amines, or quarternary ammonium bases, particularly dimethylamine, propylamine, cyclohexylamine and the ethanolamines. The most stable emulsions are prepared by the use of slightly less than the stoichiometric amount of alkaline agent but the stability may be enhanced by the addition of protective colloids such as casein or gums. By the addition of a separately prepared slurry of pigment, e.g. lithopone, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, ochre or from oxide, preferably containing glue, to the emulsion, aqueous paint emulsions may be obtained. In the examples, aromatic extracts obtained from Californian petroleum lubricating oil are mixed with the naphthenic acids of acid number less than 200 and emulsified with aqueous sodium hydroxide. Tests are described in which the emulsions thus obtained are compared with emulsions of the aromatic extracts wherein the emulsifying agent is sodium rosinate, sodium petroleum sulphonates, a polyoxyethylene derivative of sorbitan monolaurate, or a mixture of this derivative with sorbitan monolaurate. In a furthe example a high viscosity residue, obtained by fractionating in presence of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution a lubricating oil distillate derived from California petroleum, and consisting of about 75 per cent by weight of hydrocarbons boiling above 300 DEG C and about 25 per cent of sodium salts of naphthenic acids of acid number approximately 150, is emulsified with warm water. Specification 587,279 is referred to.