GB716641A - Method of scouring suint wool - Google Patents

Abstract

Cleansing compositions comprise a mixture of two or more nonionic surface active agents each of which is obtained by condensing an alkylene oxide with a water insoluble organic compound whose molecule contains at least 6 carbon atoms and a group containing an active hydrogen atom, the agents having the general formula RX (CHR1 CHR1O)y H, wherein R represents a water-insoluble organic radical, X a residue of a group containing active hydrogen, R1 hydrogen or methyl and y an integer, 10-70 per cent. of the mixture of the agents being water insoluble and having a polyglycol ether group of 1-5 alkenoxy units and the other or others being water-soluble and having a polyglycol ether group of at least 6 alkenoxy units. The group containing active hydrogen may be a hydroxy, carboxy, amino, amido, sulphonic acid or sulphonamide group. The water-insoluble compound may be an alkyl phenol, preferably having 6-18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, such as dibutyl and diamyl phenols and cresols, tripropyl phenols and cresols, secondary or tertiary heptyl to dodecyl, tetradecyl, cetyl, oleyl, and octadecyl phenols and cresols. Particularly suitable agents are polyalkylene oxide derivatives of secondary and tertiary alkyl substituted phenols and cresols obtained by dialkylating phenol or cresol with olefins of 3-5 carbon atoms, or by mono-alkylating phenol or cresols with olefines containing 8 or more carbon atoms, such as di-isobutylene, nonylenes to dodecylenes, pentadecylenes and octadecylenes, which may be dimers and trimers of propylene, butylenes, or amylenes. The water-insoluble compound may be a fatty acid such as lauric oleic, ricinoleic, palmitic, or stearic or mixtures of fatty acids obtained from animal and vegetable fats and oils or by the oxidation of paraffin wax. The water-insoluble compound may be higher fatty alcohols such as may be obtained by the hydrogenation of higher fatty acids derived from animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes. The water-insoluble compound may be a high molecular weight amine such as an octyl, cetyl, oleyl or naphthyl amine or an alkylaniline; a mercaptan such as decyl, dodecyl, oleyl, cetyl or benzyl mercaptan or a thiophenol or thionaphthol. Water-insoluble polypropylene and polybutylene oxides, e.g. polypropylene oxide containing 15-50 propenoxy groups reacted with alkylene oxides, may be used as agents. In an example, a mixture of 60 per cent. of a nonionic water-insoluble surface active agent consisting of a nonylphenol obtained by alkylating phenol with propylene trimer and condensed with four moles of ethylene oxide and 40 per cent. of the corresponding water-insoluble compound formed by condensing the nonylphenol with nine moles of ethylene oxide is dissolved in water to form a 0.03-0.05 per cent. solution and used for the scouring of suint wool. The compositions of the invention, either alone or mixed with soap, may contain sodium tetrapyrophospate or trisodium polyphosphate. alkyl aryl sulphates and sulphonates or sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, U.S.A. Specifications 1,970,578, 2,002,613, 2,085,706, 2,205,021, 2,213,477 and 2,266,141 are referred to.