Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Specific organic component
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-18
2001-06-26
Hess, Bruce H. (Department: 1774)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Specific organic component
C510S475000, C510S504000, C510S509000, C510S528000, C510S299000, C510S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251849
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use of cationic polymers as soil release compounds in cleaners for hard surfaces. The invention also relates to cleaners for hard surfaces which contain these cationic polymers as soil release compounds.
Hard surfaces occurring in the home and in the institutional sector are cleaned with various cleaners which differ from one another both in the concentration of their cleaning-active ingredients, in the form in which they are packaged, for example concentrates, spray cleaners, gels and powders, and in their pH value, for example acidic, neutral and alkaline cleaners. The cleaners are essentially aqueous solutions of surfactants which may contain builders, water-soluble solvents, solubilizers, water-soluble abrasives, etc. as additives. To be able to meet consumer requirements, cleaners of the type in question are required to be effective against all the various soils encountered.
In addition, it would be desirable if the cleaners contained components of the type which facilitate the removal of soil in the second and subsequent applications of the cleaners. Such components are known as soil release compounds. Most soil release compounds are polymeric compounds. These polymers in influence the surface of the articles to be cleaned by positively influencing the removal of soil in the second and all other cleaning cycles. Their mode of action is characterized in that they have a certain tendency in the first cleaning cycle to be deposited onto the cleaned surfaces (substantivity), thus modifying their surface properties. The polymers do not form permanent films, but instead can be removed again, in some cases very easily, with aqueous solutions, for example in the next cleaning cycle. A combination of a marked tendency to wet hard surfaces by a soil release polymer with high stability against removal (in conjunction with soil stabilization in the wash liquor) without reducing the cleaning performance of cleaners would have to be regarded as favorable from the point of view of the consumer.
European patent application EP-A 0 467 472 describes a cleaner for hard surfaces which contains water-soluble anionic, cationic or nonionic polymers as soil release compounds. Polymers containing quaternized ammonium alkyl methacrylate groups in the molecule are mentioned in particular as examples of such polymers. The cleaners described in this document only develop their soil-repelling effect after having already been applied once to the hard surface.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide compounds which would act as soil release compounds when used in aqueous surfactant solutions for the manual cleaning of hard surfaces, which would positively influence or at least would not reduce the removal of soil and stabilization of the soil removed in the cleaning liquor during the first application and which would show high surface substantivity towards aqueous solutions, thereby improving the cleaning performance of the cleaner in the event of repeated application.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the use of cationic polymers containing monomer units corresponding to formula I:
in which
n is a number of 2 to 4, preferably 3,
R
1
is hydrogen or a methyl group and
R
2
, R
3
and R
4
may be the same or different and represent hydrogen or
a C
1-4
alk(en)yl group,
X
−
is an anion from the group of halide anions or a monoalkyl anion of sulfuric acid semiester,
as soil release compounds in cleaners for hard surfaces.
It has been found that the cationic polymers according to the invention act as soil release compounds in cleaners for hard surfaces. In the manual cleaning of hard surfaces in particular, soil removal and stabilization of the soil removed in the cleaning liquor are both positively influenced and improved surface substantivity is achieved.
The polymers contain the monomer units corresponding to formula I in a quantity of, preferably, 40 mole-% to 100 mole-% and, more preferably, more than 50 mole-%. The polymers thus develop a significant soil release effect. Besides the monomer units corresponding to formula I, unsaturated monocarboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid and the like; olefins, such as ethylene, propylene and butene; alkyl esters of unsaturated carboxylic acids, more particularly esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid of which the alcohol components contain C
1-6
alkyl groups, such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and hydroxy derivatives thereof, such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, optionally further substituted aromatic compounds containing unsaturated groups, such as styrene, methyl styrene, vinyl styrene; and heterocyclic compounds, such as vinyl pyrrolidone, may be used as comonomers. Preferred comonomers are acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and C
1-6
esters thereof.
The polymers used in accordance with the invention may be present in the cleaners in a quantity of 0.01 to 10% by weight and preferably in a quantity of 0.05 to 2% by weight, based on the cleaner as a whole.
The present invention also relates to water-based cleaners for hard surfaces containing.
a) from 0.01 to 10% by weight and preferably from 0.05 to 2% by weight of cationic polymers containing monomer units corresponding to formula I:
in which
n is a number of 2 to 4, preferably 3,
R
1
is hydrogen or a methyl group and
R
2
, R
3
and R
4
may be the same or different and represent hydrogen or
a C
1-4
alk(en)yl group,
X
−
is an anion from the group of halide anions or a monoalkyl anion of sulfuric acid semiester, and
b) 0.1 to 50% by weight of one or more nonionic surfactants.
The nonionic surfactants which may be present in the cleaners according to the invention include, for example, alkyl polyglycosides, C
8-8
alkyl alcohol ethers and nitrogen-containing surfactants.
Alkyl polyglycosides are known nonionic surfactants corresponding to formula II:
R
5
O—[G]
p
(II)
in which R
5
is an alkyl group containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a sugar unit containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably a glucose unit, and p is a number of 1 to 10.
Alkyl polyglycosides (APG) corresponding to formula II may be obtained by the relevant methods of preparative organic chemistry. EP-A1 0 301 298 and WO 90/3977 are cited as representative of the extensive literature available on the subject.
The alkyl polyglycosides may be derived from aldoses or ketoses containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably from glucose. Accordingly, preferred alkyl polyglycosides are alkyl polyglucosides.
The index p in general formula II indicates the degree of oligomerization (DP degree), i.e. the distribution of mono- and oligoglycosides, and is a number of 1 to 10. Whereas p in a given compound must always be an integer and, above all, may assume a value of 1 to 6, the value p for a certain alkyl oligoglycoside is an analytically determined calculated quantity which is mostly a broken number. Alkyl polyglycosides with an average degree of oligomerization p of 1.1 to 3.0 are preferably used. Alkyl polyglycosides with a degree of oligomerization below 1.7 are preferred from the performance point of view.
C
8-18
alkyl alcohol polypropylene glycol/polyethylene glycol ethers are also known nonionic surfactants which correspond to formula III:
in which R
6
is a linear or branched aliphatic alkyl and/or alkenyl group containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms, c is 0 or a number of 1 to 3 and d is a number of 1 to 20.
C
8-18
alkyl alcohol polypropylene/polyethylene glycol ethers corresponding to formula III may be obtained by addition of propylene oxide and/or ethylene oxide to alkyl alcohols, preferably to fatty alcohols. Typical examples are polyglycol ethers corresponding to formula III, in which R
6
is an alkyl group containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms, c stands for 0 to 2 and d is a number of 2 to 7.
End-capped C
8-18
alkyl alcohol polyglycol ethers, i.e. compounds in which the free OH group in formula III is etherified, may also be used. The end-capped C
Birnbrich Paul
Bocarac Katica
Fischer Herbert
Jeschke Rainer
Kade Rainer
Garrett Dawn L.
Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
Hess Bruce H.
Jaeschke Wayne C.
Murphy Glenn E. J.
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