Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Sulfate esters
Patent
1993-11-22
1995-08-29
Chan, Nicky
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Sulfate esters
558 41, 558 36, C07C30506, C07C30514
Patent
active
054461880
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This is a 371 of Pct/EP42/00544 filed Mar. 12, 1992.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the production of highly concentrated fatty alcohol sulfate pastes by gas sulfonation of fatty alcohol mixtures and subsequent one-step neutralization and hydrolysis.
STATEMENT OF RELATED ART
Anionic surfactants of the fatty alcohol sulfate type, particularly those containing 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the fatty component, show excellent detergent properties and are suitable for the production of laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and cleaning preparations.
Fatty alcohol sulfates are produced from fatty alcohols which are first converted into the corresponding sulfuric acid semiesters with suitable sulfonating agents, for example gaseous sulfur trioxide, and then neutralized with bases [J. Am. Oil. Chem. Soc. 36, 208 (1960)]. If unsaturated fatty alcohols are used as starting materials, the reaction products have to be subjected to hydrolysis in addition to neutralization in order to prevent, post-acidification. Corresponding processes are described, for example, in Ten. Surf. Det. 15, 299 (1978) and Inc. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Develop., 1, 24 (1965).
The use of fatty alcohol sulfates, particularly for the production of powder-form detergents, on an industrial scale has hitherto been limited because even the storage and transport of water-containing fatty alcohol sulfate pastes involve considerable problems. Thus, fatty alcohol sulfate pastes having solids contents of 30 to 70% by weight have such a high viscosity and such a pronounced flow anomaly (rheopexy) at ambient temperature that they are virtually impossible to pack in containers and to circulate by pumping.
A possible solution could be to heat the pastes to a sufficiently high temperature and to make them flowable in this way. However, since fatty alcohol sulfates begin to decompose at temperatures as low as 80.degree. C., storage and handling under these conditions is only possible under the most careful pH control and optionally with additions of alkali.
The alternative approach, namely to reduce the viscosity of fatty alcohol sulfate pastes by dilution with water to such an extent that they can be circulated, is also unfavorable because unnecessary mass transfer in the spray drying of the pastes for the production of powder-form products would involve excessive energy consumption.
In the past, the problem posed by the high viscosity of water-containing anionic surfactant pastes has been the subject of numerous investigations, cf. EP 0 24 711 A1, EP 0 116 905 A1 and DE 16 17 160 which propose the use of alkoxylated alcohols, cumene sulfonate or phosphoric acid esters as viscosity-reducing agents for fatty alcohol sulfate pastes. However, these processes are basically attended by the disadvantage that the incorporation of additives involves additional effort and, in addition, can adversely affect the performance properties of the products.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a process for the production of highly concentrated fatty alcohol sulfate pastes which would be free from the disadvantages mentioned above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for the production of highly concentrated fatty alcohol sulfate pastes by reaction of fatty alcohols with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent neutralization and hydrolysis, characterized in that mixtures containing to 22 carbon atoms and 1, 2 or 3 double bonds, and containing 12 to 22 carbon atoms, are reacted together with a sulfur trioxide/inert gas mixture in a molar ratio of 1:0.95 to 1:1.3 and the reaction products are neutralized in one step carried out at 50.degree. to 90.degree. C. with such a quantity of aqueous base that water-containing fatty alcohol sulfate pastes with a solids content of 60 to 70% by weight (based on the paste), which have a viscosity of less than 10 Pa.s at a temperature of 60.degree. C., are obtained.
It has surprisingly been found that, after sulfonat
REFERENCES:
patent: 2214254 (1940-09-01), Mills et al.
patent: 3415753 (1968-12-01), Stein et al.
patent: 3741913 (1973-06-01), Waag et al.
patent: 4191704 (1980-03-01), Mather et al.
patent: 4476037 (1984-10-01), Ploog et al.
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The Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society vol. 36, May 31, 1959, E. E. Gilbert et al.: "Sulfation with Sulfur Trioxide: Ethenoxylated Long-Chain Alcohols", pp. 208-210.
J. Falbe (ed.), "Surfactants in consumer products", Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg, 1987, p. 61.
Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Develop, 1, 24 (1965).
Anzinger Hermann
Gruber Bert
Hendricks Guenter
Chan Nicky
Drach John E.
Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
Jaeschke Wayne C.
Millson Jr. Henry E.
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