Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Liquid composition
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-18
2002-05-07
Boyer, Charles (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Liquid composition
C510S422000, C510S437000, C510S488000, C510S491000, C510S505000, C510S506000, C510S356000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06384009
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use of alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters, more particularly those which have been obtained by reaction of carboxylic acid esters and alkylene oxides in the presence of calcined hydrotalcites, for reducing the viscosity of aqueous surfactant systems, more particularly those for the production of liquid laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and cleaners.
Nowadays, liquid laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and cleaners are expected to meet a whole range of very different requirements. Thus, they are supposed inter alia to be formulated with a high active substance content and, at the same time, to be liquid or at least flowable. Thus, the end user looks above all for flowable dishwashing detergents and cleaners so that the compositions can be precisely dosed as required, above all without any particular physical effort, and completely emptied. The manufacturers of such products also prefer free-flowing types because they are easier to formulate and package. In many cases, however, the surfactants always present in the compositions in question are paste-form products of which the viscosity has to be reduced accordingly so that the requirements can be fulfilled. In some cases, viscosity can be reduced by large quantities of water as solvent. In other cases, solubilizers, such as ethanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol or even monobutyl diglycol ethers, are used to obtain the required viscosities. However, these solvents and solubilizers have to be used in large quantities so that the required viscosities are obtained, greatly reducing the active substance content of the compositions. In addition, the solvents and solubilizers on their own do not contribute towards the cleaning performance of the laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and cleaners.
Now, the complex problem addressed by the present invention was to provide compounds which would be capable, even in small quantities, of greatly reducing the viscosity of aqueous surfactant systems. At the same time, these viscosity-reducing compounds would contribute towards the cleaning performance of the compositions.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to the use of alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters for reducing the viscosity of aqueous surfactant systems.
Alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters obtained by homogeneous catalysts in the presence of hydroxides and reducing agents or a co-catalyst catalyst are known from DE-A1-19 611 999 and International Patent Application WO 94/13618. According to both documents, the compounds in question may be used in laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and cleaners.
DE-A-43 26 112 describes low-foaming multipurpose cleaners containing alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters in admixture with alkyl glycosides and optionally other surfactants, such as alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates and fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers.
However, there are no references in any of the documents cited above to the effectiveness of alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters in reducing the viscosity of aqueous surfactant systems.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It has now surprisingly been found that, even when used in small quantities, alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters are capable of considerably lowering the viscosity of aqueous surfactant systems without reducing their high active substance content in the way that conventional solvents do.
Alkoxylated Carboxylic Acid Testers
According to the invention, the alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters are used above all in aqueous surfactant systems which—without the addition of viscosity-reducing solvents—have a Höppler viscosity (at 20° C) of more than 750 mPas and preferably more than 1000 mPas. A reduction in viscosity in the context of the invention occurs when the viscosity of the aqueous surfactant system is reduced preferably by one third and more particularly by at least half, based on the Höppler viscosity of the aqueous surfactant system without alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters.
The alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters used are known from the prior art. They may be obtained, for example, by esterification of alkoxylated carboxylic acids with alcohols. For the purposes of the present invention, however, the compounds are produced by reaction of carboxylic acid esters with alkylene oxides using catalysts, more especially calcined hydrotalcite in accordance with DE-A-39 14 131, which give compounds with a narrow homolog distribution. Carboxylic acid esters of both monohydric alcohols and dihydric alcohols can be alkoxylated by this process. Alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters of monohydric alcohols corresponding to general formula (I):
in which R
1
CO is an aliphatic acyl group derived from a carboxylic acid, AlkO stands for alkylene oxide and R
2
is an aliphatic alkyl group derived from a monohydric aliphatic alcohol, are preferred for the purposes of the invention. Alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters of formula (I), in which R
1
CO is an aliphatic acyl group containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms, OAlk stands for a CH
2
CH
2
O—, CHCH
3
CH
2
O—and/or CH
2
—CHCH
3
O group, n has an average value of 3 to 15 and R
2
is an aliphatic alkyl group containing 1 to 22 carbon atoms, are particularly suitable.
Preferred acyl groups are derived from carboxylic acids containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms of natural or synthetic origin, more especially from linear, saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acids, including the technical mixtures thereof obtainable by lipolysis from animal and/or vegetable fats and oils (optionally with subsequent separation of fatty acid), for example from coconut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, soya oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, fish oil, bovine tallow and lard. Examples of such carboxylic acids are caproic acid, caprylic acid, 2-ethyl hexanoic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, isotridecanoic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and/or palmitoleic acid.
Preferred alkyl groups R
2
are derived from primary, aliphatic monohydric alcohols containing 1 to 22 carbon atoms which may be saturated and/or unsaturated. Examples of suitable monoalcohols are methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol and the hydrogenation products of the above-mentioned carboxylic acids containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms, more particularly methanol.
AlkO stands for the alkylene oxides which are reacted with the carboxylic acid esters and which comprise ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and/or butylene oxides, preferably ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide and more particularly ethylene oxide on its own.
One embodiment is characterized by the use of alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters of formula (I), in which R
1
CO is an aliphatic acyl group containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms, AlkO stands for a CH
2
CH
2
O group, n has an average value of 5 to 15 and R
2
is a methyl group. Examples of such compounds are caprylic acid methyl ester and 2-ethyl hexanoic acid methyl ester alkoxylated with, on average, 5, 7, 9 or 11 moles of ethylene oxide. Another embodiment is characterized by the use of alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters of formula (I), in which R
1
CO is an aliphatic acyl group containing 12 to 14 carbon atoms, OAlk stands for a CH
2
CH
2
O group, n has an average value of 8 to 12 and R
2
is a methyl group.
Anionic Surfactants
The alkoxylated carboxylic acid esters are capable of reducing the viscosity of surfactant systems containing anionic surfactants. Typical examples of anionic surfactants are soaps, alkyl benzenesulfonates, alkane sulfonates, olefin sulfonates, alkyl ether sulfonates, glycerol ether sulfonates, a-methyl ester sulfonates, sulfofatty acids, alkyl sulfates, alkylether sulfates, glycerol ether sulfates, monoglyceride (ether) sulfates, hydroxy mixed ether sulfates, fatty acid amide (ether) sulfates, mono- and dialkyl sulfosuccinates, mono- and dialkyl sulfosuccinamates, sulfo-triglycerides, amide soaps, ether carboxylic acids and salts thereof, fatty acid isethionates, fatty acid sarcosinates, fatty acid taurides, N-acyl amino acids such as, for example, acyl lactylates, acyl t
Behler Ansgar
Koester Rita
Neuss Michael
Schmid Karl-Heinz
Boyer Charles
Cognis Deutschland GmbH
Drach John E.
Trzaska Steven J.
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