Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-06
2004-09-21
Mruk, Brian P. (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S356000, C510S360000, C510S413000, C510S421000, C510S470000, C510S475000, C510S505000, C510S506000, C510S524000, C510S535000, C134S025200, C134S025300, C134S039000, C134S040000, C134S042000, C568S613000, C568S622000, C523S400000, C523S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06794345
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to gemini surfactants, optionally in combination with ingredients customary in dishwashing detergents and cleaners, optionally with further nonionic surfactants and anionic surfactants, and to the use of such gemini surfactants for improving the wetting behavior and compatibility with plastics, for the simplified preparation of solid cleaners and as foam-suppressing surfactant in rinse aid formulations.
Compositions for the washing and cleaning of hard nontextile surfaces which occur in the household and industrial sector, should mostly develop, upon use, a small volume of foam which further decreases significantly within a few minutes. Compositions of this type have been known for a long time and are established in the market. These are essentially aqueous surfactant solutions of varying type with or without the addition of builders, solubility promoters (hydrotropic agents) or solvents. However, to demonstrate the effectiveness, a certain foaming of the application solution at the start of the cleaning operation is desired by the consumer, although the foam should rapidly collapse so that surfaces which have been cleaned once do not have to be wiped again. For this purpose, low-foaming nonionic surfactants are usually added to compositions of said type.
Nowadays, higher requirements are placed on dishes washed by machine than on dishes washed manually. For example, an item of tableware which has been completely cleaned of food residues is not assessed as perfect if, after the machine dishwashing, it still has whitish marks based on water hardness or other mineral salts which, for a lack of wetting agents, originate from dried-up water drops.
In order to obtain gleaming and spotless tableware, a rinse aid is therefore used. The addition of a liquid or solid rinse aid, which may be added separately or is already in ready-to-use presentation form with the detergent and/or regenerating salt (“2 in 1”, “3 in 1”, e.g. in the form of tabs and powders), ensures that the water runs off as completely as possible from the ware, so that the various surfaces are residue-free and gleaming at the end of the wash program.
Commercially available dishwashing detergents and cleaners are mixtures of, for example, nonionic surfactants, solubility promoters, organic acids and solvents, water and optionally preservatives and fragrances. The aim of the surfactants in these compositions is to influence the interfacial tension of the water so that it can run off from the wear in the thinnest possible coherent film so that, during the subsequent drying operation, no water drops, streaks or films remain (wetting action or wetting behavior).
For this reason, these surfactants must also suppress the foam which arises as a result of food residues in the dishwashing machine. Since most rinse aids comprise acids to improve the clear drying effect, the surfactants used must additionally be relatively hydrolysis-insensitive toward acids.
Combined products of dishwashing detergent with incorporated rinse aid are used increasingly in the household and also in the commercial sectors. The rinse aid has been added beforehand to household dishwashing detergents and, after the prerinse and washing cycle at just below 40° C.-65° C., are released into the detergent chamber. The rinse aid dissolves from the combined dishwashing detergents (e.g. “2 in 1” tablets or powder) in a time-delayed manner relative to the detergent and is thus metered into the detergent chamber.
Industrial dishwashing machines operate with only one wash liquor which is only replaced by the addition of the dishwashing solution from the previous wash cycle. There is thus no complete water change during the entire wash program. For this reason, the dishwashing detergent and cleaner must also have a foam-suppressing action, be thermally stable at a sharp temperature gradient of 85-35° C. and, in addition, must be sufficiently stable toward alkali and active chlorine.
An object of the present invention was to provide dishwashing detergents and cleaners which simultaneously exhibit good foaming behavior and cleaning behavior, but in particular very good run-off behavior, i.e. an improvement in the wetting behavior on plastic surfaces, and high material compatibility, in particular with plastics. In addition, the aim was to be able to prepare solid cleaner formulations in a simplified manner.
The object was achieved by using selected surfactants of the gemini surfactant type.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides gemini surfactants of the formula (I)
R—CHOH—CH
2
—[OCH
2
CH
2
]x-O—CH
2
—CHOH—R (I)
in which R is a linear or branched alkyl and/or alkenyl radical having 4 to 22, preferably 8 to 18, in particular 8 to 12 carbon atoms and x is 5 to 90, preferably 10 to 45 and in particular 12 to 35.
Gemini Surfactants
Generally, gemini surfactants are prepared by reacting 1,2-epoxyalkanes (CH
2
CHO—R), where R is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated alkyl and/or alkenyl radical, with polyols.
Polyol is used here as the collective term for polyhydric alcohols or polyalkylene glycols, i.e. as an organic compound which contains at least two hydroxyl groups in the molecule. Polyalkylene glycols are also to be understood as meaning reaction products of polyhydric alcohols with alkoxylation reagents such as ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.
For the purposes of the invention, polyethylene glycol HO—[OCH
2
CH
2
]x—OH is used as polyol.
Particular preference is given to gemini surfactants of the formula (I) where x is 10 to 45, preferably 12 to 35.
Very particular preference is given to gemini surfactants of the formula (I) where R is a linear or branched alkyl radical having 8 to 12 carbon atoms.
Preference is also given to gemini surfactants of the formula (I) where R is a linear alkyl radical having 8 to 12 carbon atoms, in particular having 10 carbon atoms.
In a further embodiment, preference is given to gemini surfactants of the formula (I) which are characterized in that they comprise at least 80% by weight, preferably 85 to 100% by weight, in particular 95 to 100% by weight, of gemini surfactants in which all the free hydroxyl groups of the polyethylene glycol are capped with 1,2-epoxyalkane units.
In addition, in a further embodiment, dishwashing detergents and cleaners are claimed which comprise the gemini surfactants according to the invention and further ingredients customary in dishwashing detergents and cleaners.
These customary ingredients can, as described below, be alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides, further nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, builders, enzymes and further auxiliaries and additives.
Very particular preference is given here to dishwashing detergents and cleaners which comprise gemini surfactants of the formula (I) in which x is 5 to 90, preferably 10 to 45, in particular 12 to 35 and R is a linear or branched alkyl and/or alkenyl radical having 4 to 22 carbon atoms.
Alkyl and/or Alkenyl Oligoglycosides
In a further embodiment, the dishwashing detergents and cleaners according to the invention comprise alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides of the formula (II)
R
1
O—[G]
p
(II)
where R
1
is an alkyl and/or alkenyl radical having 4 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a sugar radical having 5 or 6 carbon atoms and p is a number from 1 to 10.
They can be obtained by the appropriate methods of preparative organic chemistry. The alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides can be derived from aldoses or ketoses having 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably glucose. The preferred alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglycosides are thus alkyl and/or alkenyl oligoglucosides.
The alkyl radical R
1
can be derived from primary saturated alcohols. Typical examples are butanol-1, caproic, enanthic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric alcohol, undecanol-1, lauryl alcohol, tridecanol-1, myristyl alcohol, pentadecanol-1, cetyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol, heptadecanol-1, stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, nonadecanol-1, arachidyl alcohol, heneicosanol-1,
Elsner Michael
Raths Hans-Christian
Weuthen Manfred
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Drach John E.
Mruk Brian P.
Trzaska Steven J.
LandOfFree
Gemini surfactants does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Gemini surfactants, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Gemini surfactants will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3219743