US3481878A

US3481878A - Laundry compositions and method for making same

Info

Publication number: US3481878A
Application number: US572663A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence La Verne Schwalley
Original assignee: United States Borax and Chemical Corp
Current assignee: US Borax Inc
Priority date: 1966-08-16
Filing date: 1966-08-16
Publication date: 1969-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1986-12-02
Also published as: CA811104A; AT280931B; SE348221B; DE1617228A1; ES351439A1; CH513966A; GB1189013A; BE702173A; NL6711085A

Description

Patented Dec. 2, 1969 3,481878 LAUNDRY COMPOSITIONS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Lawrence La Verne Schwalley, Whittier, Callf., assignor to United States Borax &.Chemical Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif a corporation of Nevada No Drawing. Filed Aug. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 572,663 Int. Cl. D061 3/02, 3/06 US. Cl. 252-97 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bleach composition for use in laundering fabrics is prepared containing a solid bleach material, and a carrier therefor, the latter being a free flowing granular mixture of sodium borate, sodium sulfate and water, and the sodium borate having a Na,0;B,0, mo] ratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36. Tablets of the bleach composition having a coating of at least one water soluble laundering agent may also be prepared.

This invention relates to improved compositions for washing fabrics and method .of making same. More particularly, this invention relates to a composition containing a solid bleach which is incorporated in a carrier consisting of a mixture of sodium borates, sodium sulfate and water including water of hydration. Further, the invention includes the concept of producing tablets from said composition.

The tablets produced as a result of practicing the instant invention may be utilized in the production of a multifunctional composition which when put into a washing machine releases the various laundry ingredients in a predetermined sequential manner.

In other words, the tablet of the present invention is utilized as the inner core having a contiguous outer coating of a fabric washing agent completely enclosing the inner core.

While, primarily, the present invention is concerned with the production, compoiition and use of the inner core, the outer coating is fabricated in the same manner as described in US. Patent No. 3,154,494.

In the stated U.S. patent,.a multifunctional tablet is disclosed therein including as an ingredient of the inner core a bleach material; the present invention relates to an inner core including a carrier for said bleach. However, the recitation that the instant invention relates to such an inner core, is not to discount the fact that a composition containing the bleach plus carrier may be employed directly in either the tableted form or as a powder composition.

Broadly stated, the present invention comprises a bleaching composition comprising a dried mixture of sodium borate having a Na,0:B,O, mole ratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36 and sodium sulfate and bleach selected from the class consisting of oxygen and chlorine water-soluble solid bleaches. More particularly, the present invention includes the concept of employing the foregoing composition as a tableted inner core with an outer coating contiguous therewith and completely enclosing said core, said outer coating comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of water-soluble soaps, watersoluble synthetic organic detergents, and water conditioners.

The bleaching composition of the invention is formulated, first of all, by reacting borax or borax liquor with surfuric acid in a quantity so that about one-half the moles of titratable alkalinity expressed as Na,0 is neutralized. Water is then removed or reduced by use of suitable drying equipment, such as spray drying apparatus, to obtain a dry free flowing granular substantially amorphous material containing from about 8% to about 20% water by weight, preferably about 11 to 16%, including water of hydration; and a mole ratio of titratable Na,0 to

B 0 of 0.22 to 0.36, the preferred range being about 0.24 to 0.28. The Na,0 of the sodium sulfate in the composition is chemically combined and not titratable. The sodium borate-sodium sulfate composition and methods for its preparation are.described and claimed in a copending application of Luis H. Castro-Conde, Lawrence La Verne Schwalley and Dwight L. Sawyer, lr., Ser. No. 584,961 filed Oct. 7, 1966. This material is then used as a carrier for the bleach. The material with the dispersed bleach is formed into. tablets employing conventional equipment. The tablet or the powder, if desired, may contain minor amounts of innocuous material such as a pigment (ultramarine blue), binders etc.

As noted in the foregoing broadly stated paragraph, the inner core consists of bleach and carrier. The chlorine organic bleaches such as the chlorinated cyanuric acids trichloroisocyanuric acid, dichloroisocyanuric acid, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, and potassium dichloroisocyanurate, dimethyldichlorohydantoin, n-chlorosuccinimide, the oxygen bleaches such as the alkali metal mono persulfates, the alkali metal perborates, sodium hydrosulfite and the inorganic chlorine bleaches such as the alkaline earth metal hypochlori'tes, are all equally applicable to the present invention.

For a more detailed consideration of the invention attention is directed to the following detailed examples:

EXAMPLE I In carrying out the .invention 38.1 ml. 96% sulfuric acid (70 grams) was slurried with 500 grams sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na,O-2B,O,-1OH,O) and 67 grams of water. The mixture was heated while mixing. As a result the slurry composition was 50% anhydrous solids and 50% water. It was observed that the mixture was a solution at a temperature above 60 C. and a slurry at a temperature below 40 C. The temperature at which the slurry composition could be conveniently pumped was 45 C.

The resultant slurry was thendrum dried on square foot area dryer at 6.5 r.p.m., h; -clearance and -90 p.s.i. steam pressure. The thereby produced product, comprising sodium borate, sodium sulfate and water, had the following analysis:

Percent Titratable Na,0 11.6 B 0, 51.4 Na SO 25.8 H O 112 EXAMPLE II The quantities of the water, sulfuric acid and borax were varied from that of the first example, however, after a two 3 drying in the same manner the powder composition had the following analysis:

' Percent by weight Na,0 (titratable as alkalinity) 10.90 Nap (nontitratable-chemically combined) 1038 SO, 13.42 11,0, 47.90 H O (total of combined and free water) 17.40

Total of all oxides 100.00

Bulk density (grams per cc.):

Loose 0.56 Paclted 0.85

Cumulative screen analysisU.S. mesh Wt. percent on U.S. No.:

The dried powder was utilized as a carrier in an amount of 50% by weight for potassium dichloroisocyanurate in an amount of 50% by weight, and tableted as the inner core for a detergent tablet.

EXAMPLE Ill Again the quantities of the same ingredients were varied and spray dried. The composition had the following analysis:

The dried powder was utilized as a carrier in an amount of 99% by weight for sodium trichloroisocyanurate in an amount of 1% by Weight, and tableted in a standard tableting machine.

I claim:

1. A bleaching composition consisting essentially of effective amounts of a mixture of sodium borate having a Na=O:B O mol ratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36, sodium sulfate, and from about 8% to about 20% water including water of hydration and a bleach selected from the group consisting of organic chlorine bleaches, inorganic chlorine bleaches and alkali metal oxygen bleaches.

2. The bleaching composition of claim 1 which is in a tablet form.

3. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the water content is between 11 and 16%.

4. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the bleach is in a quantity of between 1 and 50% by weight and the carrier is in a quantity of between 99 and 50% by weight including water of hydration.

5. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the bleach is selected from the group consisting of chloroisocyanuric acids and alkali metal salts thereof.

6. A substantially dry, table, multifunctional washing and bleaching laundry tablet for sequential introduction of, firstly, effective amounts of fabric washing agents and laundry additives and, secondly, effective amounts of bleach into a laundry washing solution, which tablet consists of (1) a solid, substantially dry, water-soluble core and (2) a solid, substantially dry, water-soluble coating contiguous with and completely enclosing said core, said core consisting essentially of effective amounts of bleach selected from the group consisting of organic chlorine bleaches, inorganic chlorine bleaches and alkali metal oxygen bleaches and a mixture of sodium borate having a Na,0=B,o, mol ratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36, sodium sulfate and from about 8% to about 20% water including water of hydration, and said coating consisting essentially of at least one water-soluble fabric washing agent selected from the group consisting of soaps, non-soap synthetic organic detergents. organic sequestering agents, and inorganic water softeners, said coating being formulated and present in an amount such that when said tablet is exposed to said laundry solution said coating requires a minimum period of time within the range of from about one to about five minutes to substantially completely dissolve, the inner core remaining intact until the outer coating has dissolved, whereby exposure and introduction of said core into said laundry washing solution is delayed for at least said minimum period of time, and said bleach in said core is introduced into the laundry washing solution with freedom from local heavy concentration for affording maximum effectiveness of said laundering agents and maximum safety for the articles to be laundered.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,998,310 8/1961 OBrien et a]. 71-69 MAYER WEINBLATI, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 252-99,