NL268317A - - Google Patents

Abstract

An opaque pearlescent aqueous detergent composition comprises by weight (a) 6-15%, preferably 6-10%, of a C10- 14-alkyl glyceryl ether sulphonate, (b) 2-4%, preferably 3%, of a C16- 18-alkyl glyceryl ether sulphonate, (c) 1-5%, preferably 2%, of an amine oxide R1R2R3N-->O, where R1 is a C8- 18-alkyl group and R2 and R3 are methyl or ethyl, and (d) 0.05-0.2%, preferably 0.1%, of either (1) a water-soluble acrylamide polymer having a viscosity of at least 4 cps. measured as an 0.5% solution in 4% aqueous sodium chloride at 25 DEG C., or (2) a water-soluble ethylene oxide homopolymer having a viscosity of at least 10 cps. measured as a 1% aqueous solution at 25 DEG C.; the cations present in (a) and (b) are sodium, together with, or without, potassium, and/or alkanol-ammonium (preferably mono-, di-, or tri-ethanol-ammonium), the mole ratio of potassium and/or alkanolammonium to sodium in the composition as a whole being not greater than 1.2:1, more suitably not greater than 0.8:1, and most preferably not greater than 0.75:1. Both (a) and (b) generally contain less than 30% di-, tri-, or higher glyceryl ether sulphonates, and the alkyl radicals of (a) predominantly contain 12 and 14 carbon atoms. The alkyl group R1 in amine oxide (c) generally comprises 12 carbon atoms in at least 50% of (c). The acrylamide polymer (d) (1) may be either a homopolymer or a copolymer of acrylamide with (i) up to 15% of methacrylamide, acrylonitrile, vinyl chloride, vinyl alkyl ether, or lower alkyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid, or (ii) up to 50 mole per cent of acrylic or methacrylic acid or alkali metal salts thereof. The ethylene oxide condensate (d) (2) has a molecular weight of 10,000-100,000. The compositions generally also contain (e) 1-5% of a supplementary anionic synthetic detergent, alkyl sulphates, alkylbenzene sulphonates and the sulphated condensates of ethylene oxide with fatty alcohols or alkylphenols being preferred, (f) not more than 8% of a water-soluble salt, preferably constituted by 1-3% potassium pyrophosphate and 1-5% sodium or potassium chloride, sulphate, orthophosphate or acetate, or mixtures thereof, (g) 0.1-0.4% sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose, and (h) 0.5-3% of a sodium benzene, toluene or xylene sulphonate as hydrotrope. Sodium or potassium silicate (SiO2 : M2O above 2.8), colour and perfume may also be incorporated and the mixture may be made suitable for dispensing from a pressurized package by addition of suitable chlorinated or fluorinated hydrocarbons. The pearlescent effect is obtained by dissolving the ingredients in water at 165 DEG F. and then rapidly cooling the mixture to 70 DEG F. when ingredient (b) crystallizes.