US3419500A

US3419500A - Novel process and composition

Info

Publication number: US3419500A
Application number: US500347A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rytter Edward Albert; Canter Carl Robert
Original assignee: Lever Brothers Co
Current assignee: Lever Brothers Co
Priority date: 1965-10-21
Filing date: 1965-10-21
Publication date: 1968-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1985-12-31

Description

United States Patent 3,419,500 NOVEL PROCESS AND COMPOSITION Edward Albert Rytter, Palisades Park, and Carl Robert Canter, Bloomfield, N.J., assignors to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine N0 Drawing. Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 500,347

3 Claims. (Cl. 252-89) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Compositions containing ethylene oxide condensates and small proportions of water are disclosed. It has been found that from 7% to 25% water will cause liquefaction of ethylene oxide condensates, although the amount of water used is less than required to dissolve the ethylene oxide condensates.

The present invention is concerned with the preparation of detergent formulations wherein the detergentactive ingredient is a nonionic compound which is normally solid at substantially room temperature.

It is well known in the manufacture of various cleansing formulations to prepare liquid or powdered detergent formulations which are the combination of a variety of materials. This invention relates to a novel method for preparing cleansing formulations, and to novel compositions for use in such a process in which certain nonionic detergent compounds are employed. One of the important ingredients in such a formulation is, of course, the detergent-active compound.

In the preparation of detergent formulations, it is obvious that the physical state of the ingredients has an important bearing on the ease with which the formulating process may be carried out. Materials which are solid are more diflicult to handle and more difiicult to blend uniformly than are liquid materials. For that reason, it has sometimes been the practice in the past, when handling normally solid nonionic detergents, to heat such materials sufficiently to maintain them in a liquid condition in order to facilitate their handling and storage in the manufacturing process.

7 In accordance ,with the present invention, a novel method for maintaining certain normally solid nonionic detergents in a liquid form has been discovered. More specifically, it has been found that certain nonionic detergents when blended with minor amounts of Water are successively transformedfrom a dry solid to a thin liquid, to a viscous liquid, and finally, to a solid gel-like phase. Accordingly, by providing for the presence of an appropriate, minor proportion of water, these normally solid nonionic detergents can be maintained in the liquid phase intermediate the two solid phases, whereby storage and handling thereof during the preparation of nonionic detergent formulations are facilitated. (Throughout the spe cification proportions and percentages are by weight unless specifically indicated to the contrary.)

The nonionic detergents which may be employed in the present invention have several important characteristics:

Firstly, the nonionic detergents with which the present invention is concerned are the ethylene oxide. reaction products of the primary alcohols of the aliphatic hydrocarbons, the detergents being normally solid atabout 70 F. The present invention is especially applicable to detergents having melting points between 75 and 110 F. Normally, the ethylene oxide-alcohol condensates which are solid at 70 F. are formed from the substantially linear hydrocarbons. Such compounds may be free of branching, or may contain one or possibly two lower alkyl groups along the long carbon chain. Typically, the lower alkyl ICC branch will be a methyl group, but in some compounds ethyl or propyl branching will also occur, Additionally, the solid ethylene oxide-alcohol condensates will be based on substantially saturated alcohols. As is well known, the presence of substantial amounts of unsaturation tends to result in compounds which are liquid at room temperature.

Secondly, the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol portion of the compound is important. The nonionic detergents which may be used in the present invention should be formed from fatty alcohols containing between about 11 and 16 carbon atoms, and at least 15% of the alcohol should contain C or C compounds. Preferred alcohols contain from 12 to 15 carbon atoms.

Alcohols of the foregoing description may conveniently be obtained from petroleum sources, for instance, by hydration of alpha olefins, which in turn may be commercially obtained by cracking petroleum waxes. Such alcohols may contain carbon chains of either an even or an odd number of carbon atoms. Another convenient and commercially known method of obtaining alpha olefins is the Ziegler polymerization of ethylene, whereby linear alpha olefins containing from 12 to 16 carbon atoms may be obtained. Still other common sources of alcohols are the glyceridic fats and oils from which long-chain alcohols can be obtained by reduction. The alcohols employed may be mixtures of alcohols of various chain lengths. It will be obvious that appropriate pure compounds satisfying the above criteria may be employed if desired.

Finally, the nonionic detergents to which the present invention is applicable should contain between about 60% and ethylene oxide. Ethoxylation may be accomplished by any convenient method known in the art.

As already indicated, it has been found that when the nonionic detergents of the foregoing description are mixed with water, the detergent successively passes through the stages of being (1) a white v/axy solid, (2) a water-clear thin liquid, (3) a clear viscous liquid, and finally (4) a clear gel. In accordance with the present invention a sufficient amount of water is incorporated into the nonionic detergent to obtain a composition falling within the intermediate liquid phase. Thereby a composition is obtained which can be readily handled and stored in a liquid state during the manufacture of nonionic detergent formulations. In general, the amount of water required will vary from about 7 to about 25 parts per parts of the dry, nonionic solid. However, it is evident that nonionic detergents falling within the above description may vary somewhat in their response to added water. Accordingly, the amount of water added should be sufficient to obtain the desired phase.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the amount of water added will be sufficient to yield a liquid of the lowest viscosity. The preferred amount of water is normally in the range of 11 to 18 parts. per 100 parts of the dry detergent.

For a further understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following examples.

Example 1 An ethyloxylated linear alcohol containing an average of 13.5 mols of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol (about 75% ethylene oxide) was combined with water. The alcohol portion of the nonionic detergent had the following carbon number distribution:

White, waxy solidwater-clear, thin liquidwater-clear viscous liquid clear gel.

The liquid phases were obtained when the water was in the range of about 7 to about 25 parts of water per 100 parts of the dry solid. The thin liquid was obtained at water contents of 8 to 18 parts per 100 parts of the dry solid.

The pumpable liquid phase is of value because it will facilitate the handling of the nonionic detergent in plant operations during the compounding of nonionic detergent formulations, as well as during shipping of the raw materials. No heat is needed to maintain the material as a liquid, since it was a liquid at 70 F.

Example 2 The foregoing example was repeated using an alcohol fraction containing C to C compounds condensed with 12 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol (containing about 72% ethylene oxide). Like results were obtained, the liquid phases being within the range of about 7 to about 25 parts of water per 100 parts of detergent solids.

In both of the foregoing examples, the alcohol fractions contained a maximum of about 25% Z-methyl branching.

Example 3 A nonionic detergent was prepared by ethoxylating a technical grade lauryl alcohol to obtain a product containing approximately 75% ethylene oxide. This material was a solid at 70 F. When 90 parts of active were combined with 10 parts of water, a product was obtained which was liquid at 70 F.

Example 4 Example The application of the present invention to mixed ethoxylated alcohols having varying amounts of a C alcohol-ethylene oxide condensate was investigated by employing mixtures of commercially available ethylene oxide-alcohol condensates under the trademarks Alfonic 1218-6 and Alfonic 1418-6. Both materials contained approximately 60% ethylene oxide by weight and the alcohol portions of the condensates had the following carbon number distribution:

Alfonic 418-6, percent Alfonic 1218-6, percent C14 4O 40 Cu 40 30 C1 20 20 The actives were blended together to obtain mixtures having the following carbon number distributions:

Blend #1, Blend #2, Blend #3, Blend 4, percent percent percent percent Cr: 20 10.0 5.00 15.00 014. 35 37. 5 38. 30. 25 Cu. 30 35. 0 37. 5O 32. 50 Cir..." 16 17. 5 18.75 16. 25

Each of the foregoing blends, as well as the Alfonic 1418-6 was a white solid at 70 F. Alfonic 1218-6 is a hazy liquid at 70 F.

Water was added to each blend to obtain a mixture having active and 10% water. Each solution was stored at 70 F. for 24 hours and its physical state was noted. The following observation was made:

Physical condition after Sample: 24 hours at 70 F. Blend #1+10% Water Thin-clear-homogeneous liquid. Blend #2+10% water 2 layers: Top clearbottom gel. Blend #3+10% water Do.

Blend #4+10% water Thin-clear-homogeneous liquid.

The foregoing indicates that alcohol-ethylene oxide condensates which are solid at 70 F and which contain at least 15% of a C alcohol ethylene oxide condensate can be converted into homogeneous pumpable liquids for the purpose of facilitating processing by the addition of minor amounts of water.

It will be understood that the foregoing examples are for illustrative purposes only, and that the present invention is not limited thereto.

We claim:

1. As a composition of matter, the combination consisting essentially of a nonionic detergent and water, the nonionic detergent being a solid at a temperature of about 70 F., containing from about 60% to about 80% ethylene oxide, based on the weight of said detergent and being formed by condensing ethylene oxide with the primary alcohol of at least one aliphatic hydrocarbon having from about 11 to about 16 carbon atoms, at least 15% by weight of said alcohol being selected from C and C carbon atom compounds, the amount of water in said combination being between about 7 and about 25 parts per parts by weight of said detergent, and being sufficient to yield a composition which is liquid at room temperature.

2. A composition of matter according to claim 1 wherein the amount of said water is between about 8 and about 18 parts per 100 parts by weight of said detergent.

3. A composition of matter according to claim 1 Wherein said nonionic detergent is formed by condensing ethylene oxide with the primary alcohol of at least one aliphatic hydrocarbon having from about 12 to about 15 carbon atoms, at least 15 by weight of said alcohol being a 12 carbon atom compound.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,867,585 1/1959 Vitale. 2,934,568 4/1960 Barker 252-89 LEON D. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner.

B. BETTIS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.