Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – With oxygen or halogen containing chemical bleach or oxidant...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-15
2002-04-02
Boyer, Charles (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
With oxygen or halogen containing chemical bleach or oxidant...
C510S276000, C510S302000, C510S312000, C510S313000, C510S356000, C510S367000, C510S375000, C510S421000, C510S443000, C510S456000, C510S501000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06365564
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This case relates to asymmetrical imide bleach activators and compositions and methods employing the same. In particular, this case relates to bleach additive and bleaching compositions in both liquid and granular form employing asymmetrical bleach activators. The activators are particularly useful in laundry, automatic dishwashing and hard surface cleaning compositions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The formulation of bleaching compositions which effectively remove a wide variety of soils and stains from fabrics under wide-ranging usage conditions remains a considerable challenge to the laundry detergent industry. Challenges are also faced by the formulator of hard surface cleaning compositions and automatic dishwashing detergent compositions (ADD's), which are expected to efficiently cleanse and sanitize dishware, often under heavy soil loads. The challenges associated with the formulation of truly effective cleaning and bleaching compositions have been increased by legislation which limits the use of effective ingredients such as phosphate builders in many regions of the world.
Oxygen bleaching agents, such as hydrogen peroxide, have become increasingly popular in recent years in household and personal care products to facilitate stain and soil removal. Bleaches are particularly desirable for their stain-removing, dingy fabric cleanup, whitening and sanitization properties. Oxygen bleaching agents have found particular acceptance in laundry products such as detergents, in automatic dishwashing products and in hard surface cleaners. Oxygen bleaching agents, however, are somewhat limited in their effectiveness. Some frequently encountered disadvantages include color damage on fabrics and surfaces. In addition, oxygen bleaching agents tend to be extremely temperature rate dependent. Thus, the colder the solution in which they are employed, the less effective the bleaching action. Temperatures in excess of 60° C. are typically required for effectiveness of an oxygen bleaching agent in solution.
To solve the aforementioned temperature rate dependency, a class of compounds known as “bleach activators” has been developed. Bleach activators, typically perhydrolyzable acyl compounds having a leaving group such as oxybenzenesulfonate, react with the active oxygen group, typically hydrogen peroxide or its anion, to form a more effective peroxyacid oxidant. It is the peroxyacid compound which then oxidizes the stained or soiled substrate material. However, bleach activators are also somewhat temperature dependent. Bleach activators are more effective at warm water temperatures of from about 40° C. to about 60° C. In water temperatures of less than about 40° C., the peroxyacid compound loses some of its bleaching effectiveness.
Numerous substances have been disclosed in the art as effective bleach activators. One widely-used bleach activator is tetraacetyl ethylene diamine (TAED). TAED provides effective hydrophilic cleaning especially on beverage stains, but has limited performance on hydrophobic stains, e.g. dingy, yellow stains such as those resulting from body oils. Another type of activator, such as non-anoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS) and other activators which generally comprise long chain alkyl moieties, is hydrophobic in nature and provides excellent performance on dingy stains. However, many of the hydrophobic activators developed demonstrate limited performance on hydrophilic stains.
The search, therefore, continues for more effective activator materials, especially for those which provide satisfactory performance on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils and stains. Improved activator materials should be safe, effective, and will preferably be designed to interact with troublesome soils and stains. Various activators have been described in the literature. Many are esoteric and expensive.
It has now been determined that certain selected bleach activators are unexpectedly effective in removing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils and stains from fabrics, hard surfaces and dishes. When formulated as described herein, bleach additive and bleaching compositions are provided using the selected bleach activators to remove soils and stains not only from fabrics, but also from dishware in automatic dishwashing compositions, from kitchen and bathroom hard surfaces, and the like, with excellent results.
BACKGROUND ART
Bleach activators of various types are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,730,902; 4,179.390; 4,207,199; 4,221,675; 4,772,413; 5,106,528; European Patent 063,017; European Patent 106,584; European Patent 163,331; Japanese Patent 08/27487 and PCT Publication W.O. 94/18298. Imide Compounds of various types are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,745,103 and 4,851,138.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses asymmetrical imide bleach activators for use in both solid and liquid additive, bleaching and detergent compositions. The asymmetrical imide bleach activators of the present invention display the unique ability to form both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bleaching agents in aqueous liquors such as bleaching solutions. Thus, fabrics, hard surfaces or dishes having hydrophobic stains such as dingy and/or hydrophilic stains such as beverages can be effectively cleaned or bleached using the imide bleach activators of the present invention. Accordingly, the imide bleach activators of the present invention provide a unique and superior capability and benefit over the activators of the prior art.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a bleach activator compound is provided. The bleach activator of the present invention is an asymmetrical imide having the formula:
wherein R
1
is a moiety selected from the group consisting of:
wherein n is an integer from about 0 to about 12, A is a charge compatible counterion, m is an integer from 1 to about 3, R
2
is a C
1
-C
8
, linear or branched chain saturated or unsaturated alkyl group, preferably a C
1
-C
4
linear saturated alkyl group and R
3
is a C
1
-C
4
linear or branched chain saturated or unsaturated alkyl group. More preferably, R
2
and R
3
are CH
3
.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a bleach additive composition is provided. The additive composition comprises:
i) from about 0.1% to about 70% by weight of the composition of an asymmetrical imide bleach activator having the formula:
wherein R
1
is a moiety as defined above, R
2
is a C
1
-C
8
linear or branched chain saturated or unsaturated alkyl group, preferably a C
1
-C
4
linear saturated alkyl group and R
3
is a C
1
-C
4
linear or branched chain saturated or unsaturated alkyl group; and,
ii) from about 0.1% to about 99.9% by weight of the composition of conventional additive ingredients.
More preferably, R
2
and R
3
are CH
3
. The conventional additive ingredients may comprise a source of hydrogen peroxide, a surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactant, anionic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and mixtures thereof, preferably nonionic surfactants and/or be selected from the group consisting of chelating agents, polymeric soil release agents, bleach catalysts, enzymes, builders and mixtures thereof.
Preferably, the bleach additive is in liquid form. When in liquid form, the compositions preferably include from about 0.1% to about 60% by weight of an emulsifying system or a thickening system. The emulsifying system preferably has an HLB value which ranges from about 8 to about 15. Preferably, the emulsifying system comprises one or more nonionic surfactants and most preferably comprises a nonionic surfactant with the nonionic surfactant being a nonionic alkyl ethoxylate.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a bleaching composition is provided. The composition may comprise:
i) from about 0.1% to about 70% by weight of the composition of an asymmetrical imide bleach activator having the formula:
wherein R
1
is a moiety as defined above, R
2
is a C
1
-C
8
, linear or branched chain saturated or
Burckett-St. Laurent James Charles T. R.
Dykstra Robert Richard
Kott Kevin Lee
Miracle Gregory Scot
Boyer Charles
Cook C. Brant
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble Co.
Zerby Kim W.
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