JP7719331B2 - Electron donor visualization kit and electron donor visualization method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electron donor visualization kit that can visualize urinary components and other electron donors, and a method for visualizing electron donors using the same.

Urine components easily scatter onto toilet floors and walls, and if left unattended, they will be broken down by bacteria and cause unpleasant odors such as ammonia. Protein components such as milk, sweeteners, and juices also easily scatter around the kitchen and dining table, causing stains and odors if left unattended. For this reason, cleaning is carried out regularly or as needed, but because these deposits are nearly transparent, they are difficult to see with the naked eye after drying. Therefore, even after cleaning, it is not possible to confirm whether they have been completely removed, and as a result, many people feel that the odor does not go away even after cleaning.

Countermeasures include replacing wallpaper and installing air purifiers, but these are quite costly. As a result, many people simply ventilate the room or install air fresheners or deodorizers. However, these measures do not remove the source of the dirt or odor, so their effectiveness is limited.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning composition containing a dye that stains proteins and a surfactant that removes dirt. Using this cleaning composition, protein adhesion sites can be made visible with the dye and then cleaned with the surfactant. However, because the stained areas are also bleached by the cleaning ingredients, the color cannot be maintained for a certain period of time, and the stability of the color cannot be ensured. Furthermore, not only can the composition visualize protein components, but when sprayed on a wall, dripping is likely to occur, and there is a risk that the dye will adhere and worsen the appearance. Patent Document 2 also discloses a liquid bleaching composition containing a colorant with indicator functionality. However, this composition stains the entire sprayed area, and it takes about 15 minutes for the color to disappear, making it difficult to carry out cleaning work quickly.

Special Publication No. 7-504699 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-294898

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and provide an electron donor visualization kit and electron donor visualization method that can stably visualize the coloration of adhesion sites of electron donors such as urine components and trace protein components over a certain period of time, while quickly decolorizing areas other than the adhesion sites and minimizing dripping.

The electron donor visualization kit of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is an electron donor visualization kit that combines Solution A, which consists of an electron-donating colorant and a solvent, with Solution B, which contains a bleaching component consisting of an electron acceptor and a solvent, and is characterized in that Solution A or Solution B contains one or more surfactants selected from the compounds represented by the following formula 1 or 2: In these formulas, R is an alkyl or alkenyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms, X is an N atom or CO—N, A is an alkyl or oxyalkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, M is _NH4 or _HN ( _C2H4OH ) ₃ , n and m in Chemical 1 are 0 or integers of 1 or more (excluding both being 0), and n in Chemical 2 is an integer from 0 to 10.

It is preferable that the liquid A contains at least one material selected from the group consisting of acid clay, activated clay, kaolin, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, perlite, and smectite. According to a preferred embodiment, the electron donor is a urine component, and the kit is used as a urine component visualization kit.

The electron donor visualization method of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, is a method for visualizing an electron donor using the above-mentioned electron donor visualization kit, characterized in that the electron donor is visualized by spraying the above-mentioned solutions A and B onto the electron donor. According to a preferred embodiment, the electron donor is a urinary component.

The electron donor visualization kit of the present invention consists of Liquid A, which consists of an electron-donating colorant and a solvent, and Liquid B, which contains a bleaching component consisting of an electron acceptor and a solvent. By decolorizing areas other than those where electron donors, such as urine components and trace protein components, are attached, it is possible to stably visualize only the attached areas for a certain period of time. Furthermore, by including a specific surfactant in Liquid A or Liquid B, dripping is less likely to occur when sprayed onto a wall surface, and there are also the advantages of increasing the decolorization rate of the electron-donating colorant sprayed on surfaces where no electron donors are attached.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the function of a surfactant in the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, the principle of visualization of the electron donor of the present invention will be described.
First, when Liquid B, which contains a bleaching component consisting of an electron acceptor and a solvent, is sprayed onto a surface with urine components attached, the bleaching component reacts with the urine components (electron donors) and reduces the bleaching ability, but there is no reduction in bleaching ability in areas where the electron donor is not attached. Next, when Liquid A, which contains an electron-donating colorant and a solvent, is sprayed on top of that, the electron-donating colorant is bleached and decolorized in areas where the bleaching ability is not reduced, becoming colorless. However, the electron-donating colorant is not decolorized in areas where the bleaching ability has been reduced by reaction with the urine components. Therefore, only the areas with urine components attached are colored, and can be stably visualized for a certain period of time. Liquid A may be sprayed before or at the same time as Liquid B.

Electron donors that can be visualized include proteins made up of amino acids, and sweeteners and juices containing glucose and dextrose. The amino groups of amino acids and the ether groups of glucose and dextrose are electron donors that are easily oxidized, and urine components can also be visualized because they contain proteins. In addition, compounds with high electron density (δ-) such as C=C, C=N, CN (including peptide bonds), _-NH2 , -NH-, and -SH are easily oxidized. This makes it possible to visualize not only starch urinary components, but also proteins, amino acids, sugars, and other compounds.

Solution A consists of an electron-donating colorant and a solvent. Electron-donating colorants are colorants that easily lose electrons and oxidize. This property applies to all dyes, including acid and basic dyes. Examples of acid dyes include nitroso dyes, nitro dyes, monoazo dyes, diazo dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, xanthene dyes, anthraquinone dyes, indigoid dyes, and aminoketone dyes. Examples of basic dyes include diphenylmethane dyes, acridine dyes, methine dyes, thiazole dyes, azine dyes, and thiazine dyes. Other examples of dyes that can be used include triazo dyes, polyazo dyes, quinoline dyes, oxazine dyes, carotenoid dyes, indophenol dyes, hydroxyketone dyes, anthocyanin dyes, alizarin red S, and borothymol. The content of the electron-donating colorant is preferably 10 ppm to 10 wt%, and even more preferably 100 ppm to 1 wt%.

The solvent can be water such as ion-exchanged water, pure water, or tap water, or an organic solvent. Examples of organic solvents include alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, and benzyl alcohol, and diols or triols such as glycerin, diglycerin, triglycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and polyethylene glycol, which can be used alone or in combination. The amount added is preferably 60 to 99.99% by weight.

The electron acceptor contained in Solution B is an oxidizing agent that oxidizes a substance by accepting electrons, and can be selected from the group consisting of metal hypochlorites such as sodium hypochlorite, metal chlorates, hydrogen peroxide, metal perborates, metal percarbonates, metal peroxides, acyl peroxides, benzoyl peroxide, peracetic acid, ozone, sodium bisulfate, nitrogen dioxide, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, azodicarbonamide, sodium sulfite, sodium metabisulfite, percarbonates, tetraacetyleneethylenediamine, metal peroxymonosulfates, and mixtures thereof. The content of the electron acceptor is preferably 10 ppm to 20 wt%, and even more preferably 100 ppm to 6 wt%.

In the present invention, Solution A or Solution B contains one or more surfactants selected from the compounds represented by the formula 1 or 2. The content of the surfactant is preferably 10 ppm to 20 wt %, and more preferably 100 ppm to 5 wt %.
The compound shown in Chemical Formula 1 is a compound in which an alkyl or alkenyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms, or an alkyl or oxyalkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms is bonded to the N atom or CO—N shown as X. Representative examples include polyoxyethylene stearylamine ether, polyoxyethylene alkylamine, and alkylalkanolamide.

The compound shown in Chemical Formula 2 is a compound in _{which a hydrophilic group such as ethylene glycol represented by (CH2CH2O)n is bound} to both ends of a hydrophilic group represented by R and a hydrophilic group represented by _SO3M . M is a counter ion ( _NH4 or _HN ( _C2H4OH ) ₃ ). Representative compounds of Chemical Formula 2 are ammonium lauryl sulfate, triethanolamine lauryl sulfate, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether triethanolamine sulfate.

As shown in the data in the Examples below, when these surfactants are added, electron-donating colorants sprayed on surfaces to which no electron donor has adhered quickly fade. Furthermore, the increased viscosity prevents dripping even when sprayed on a vertical wall. The mechanism of action of the surfactants in this invention is believed to be as follows:

As shown in the upper panel of Figure 1, the surfactant used in this invention has a highly electron-dense N-C bond in its molecular structure. This bond is broken when an electron is taken by Cl ⁺ released from the electron acceptor contained in Solution B, such as sodium hypochlorite. The surfactant with the broken bond forms a quaternary ammonium salt cation, as shown in the middle panel of Figure 1. When the surfactant is polyoxyethylene stearylamine ether, the quaternary ammonium salt cation formed is hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride. This surfactant has hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups at both ends of the molecule, forming micelles with hydrophilic groups on the outside and hydrophobic groups on the inside, as shown in the lower panel of Figure 2. Dyes and bleaching ingredients are captured inside these micelles, resulting in localized concentration and accelerated bleaching. This mechanism of action cannot be achieved using surfactants that do not have a highly electron-dense N-C bond.

It is preferable to include at least one selected from the group consisting of acid clay, activated clay, kaolin, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, perlite, and smectite in Solution A. These smectites and other materials trap the dye inside, preventing the bleaching action of Cl ⁺ released from hypochlorous acid and improving the dye's stability over time. Here, smectite is a collective term for a group consisting of montmorillonite, a dioctahedral hydrous layered silicate mineral, and hydrite, nontronite, saponite, hectorite, sauconite, and stevensite, which are structurally similar to montmorillonite.

Furthermore, adhesiveness can be enhanced by adding a known thickener to either Liquid A or Liquid B. Known thickeners include water-swellable silicate particles, alginate, carboxymethylcellulose, gum arabic, arginine polymer, sodium alginate, alginate propylene glycol, ethyl cellulose, xanthan gum, carrageenan, pectin, gellan gum, methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone resin, butyral resin, acrylic resin, and cellulose nanofiber. Water-swellable silicate particles such as smectite, bentonite, vermiculite, and mica are particularly desirable because they have high thixotropy. The pressure exerted on the liquid as it passes through the fine pores of the nozzle during spraying significantly reduces the viscosity of the liquid, improving liquid diffusion during spraying. The preferred amount is 0.1 to 20% by weight.

It is preferable that Liquid A and Liquid B are filled into separate spray containers and sold as a kit. The visualization kit of the present invention refers to a tool used to spray Liquid A and Liquid B onto the surface of an electron donor to visualize urine components, etc., and may take the form of, for example, one or more spray containers, packs, collection tubes, syringes, etc. filled with Liquid A and Liquid B, respectively, but the form is not critical. The kit may also be electrically driven using a sensor or power source, or may be configured like an aerosol in which the contents are sprayed in a mist due to gas pressure.

As described above, to visualize electron donors using the electron donor visualization kit, liquids A and B are sprayed sequentially or simultaneously onto the surface where the electron donor is attached. The areas where the electron donor, such as urine components and trace protein components, are stained with the colorant, while other areas quickly fade. Because the areas where the electron donor is attached can be visualized in this way, cleaning becomes easier. Another advantage is that no dripping occurs even when sprayed on a vertical wall. Examples and comparative examples are shown below.

Liquid A with the composition shown in Table 1 and Liquid B with the composition shown in Table 2 were prepared. The solvent for all Liquid A was distilled water, and the electron-donating colorants were all anthraquinone dyes. In Examples 1-3 and 11-13, polyoxyethylene stearylamine ether represented by formula 1 was added as a surfactant. In the other Examples, a surfactant listed in the table and represented by formula 2 was added. In Comparative Example 1, no surfactant was added, and in Comparative Examples 2-3, a silicone-based surfactant was added that, unlike the surfactants shown in Formulas 1 and 2, does not have a high electron density N-C bond.

The composition of Solution B is as shown in Table 2, with tap water as the solvent and sodium hypochlorite as the electron acceptor. Smectite, a water-swellable silicate particle, was added as a thickener, and sodium metasilicate was added as an alkaline agent. Solution B was the same for all examples and comparative examples.

These solutions A and B were sprayed sequentially onto a wall surface to which the target component had been attached, and the coloring of the attached areas, the speed at which the color faded from non-attached areas, dripping on the wall, and stability over time were evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

In each example, discoloration was confirmed in the adhered areas, and the decolorization speed in the non-adhered areas was 1-1.5 minutes. In Examples 1-3, the amount of surfactant added was significantly changed, but similar effects were obtained. Visualization was possible not only for urine components, but also for milk containing protein components as in Example 10. In all embodiments, there was no dripping and stability over time was good. In particular, the decolorization speed was 1 minute in Examples 1-4 and 9-10. In contrast, in the comparative examples, discoloration was confirmed in the adhered areas, but the decolorization speed was slow at 3 minutes in all cases, and dripping also occurred in Comparative Examples 2-3.

As explained above, according to the present invention, electron donors such as urine components and protein components can be stably visualized for a certain period of time. Furthermore, dripping is unlikely to occur when sprayed onto a wall surface, and the decolorization effect of the electron donor colorant sprayed on surfaces to which no electron donors have adhered is accelerated, allowing for quick cleaning work.

Claims (5)

An electron donor visualization kit that combines a liquid A consisting of an electron donating colorant and a solvent with a liquid B containing a bleaching component consisting of an electron acceptor and a solvent, wherein the liquid A or B contains one or more surfactants selected from the compounds represented by the following formula 1 or 2.
(In these formulas, R is an alkyl or alkenyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms, X is an N atom or CO-N, A is an alkyl or oxyalkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, M is _NH4 or HN _{( C2H4OH} ) ₃ , n and m in Chemical Formula 1 are integers of 0 or 1 or more (except when both are 0), and n in Chemical Formula 2 is an integer from 0 to 10.)
The electron donor visualization kit of claim 1, characterized in that the solution A contains at least one selected from the group consisting of acid clay, activated clay, kaolin, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, perlite, and smectite. The electron donor visualization kit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electron donor is a urinary component and is used as a kit for visualizing urinary components. A method for visualizing an electron donor using the electron donor visualization kit described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electron donor is visualized by spraying the A and B solutions onto the electron donor. The method for visualizing an electron donor described in claim 4, characterized in that the electron donor is a urinary component.