Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-22
2002-09-24
Kelly, Cynthia H. (Department: 1774)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S313000, C510S310000, C510S318000, C510S338000, C510S342000, C510S371000, C510S407000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06455485
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to liquid laundry detergent products which are nonaqueous in nature and which contain peroxyacid bleach precursors having an effective dissolution rate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Liquid nonaqueous detergents are well known in the art. This class of detergents is particularly interesting for enhancing the chemical compatibility of detergent composition components, in particular bleach precursors and bleach sources.
In such nonaqueous products, these bleaching precursors are less reactive than if they had been dissolved in the aqueous liquid matrix.
A preferred class of bleach precursors are those having a Krafft point of at least 10° C. Said bleach precursors are reputed to be very effective in stain removal, cleaning and whitening. Examples of said bleach precursors are amide substituted peroxyacid precursor compounds such as (6-octanamido-caproyl) oxy benzene sulfonate, (6-nonanamidocaproyl)oxy benzene sulfonate and (6-decanamidocaproyl)oxy benzene sulfonate as described in EP-A-0 170 386.
A drawback of said bleach precursors is their low dissolution rate. As a result, the perhydrolysis rate is reduced which in turn affects the cleaning performance. This problem is even more acute with the move in consumer washing habits towards lower temperature and shorter wash cycle. Problems can also, in particular, be encountered when the said bleach precursors are used under high hardness conditions, resulting upon dissolution in the formation of calcium salts of low solubility. Such a problem of reduced perhydrolysis is further increased where the bleach precursor is present in a form that exhibits a very low rate of dissolution, thus affecting the perhydrolysis rate.
A further problem, associated with the bleach precursors having slow perhydrolysis rates, appears when the soiled fabrics release the enzyme catalase. Hence, due to the slow perhydrolysis of the precursor, the catalase will destroy the hydrogen peroxide component before the bleach activator is properly perhydrolysed. As a result, the concentration of peracid present in the wash is reduced and so is the bleaching performance.
Accordingly, the formulator of a nonaqueous liquid detergent composition is faced with the challenge of formulating a nonaqueous liquid detergent composition which provides effective dissolution of the precursor in order to result in an efficient perhydrolysis.
The Applicant has now found that the use of high levels of alcohol alkoxylate nonionic surfactants relative to the levels of bleach precursors having a Krafft point of at least 10° C., within a liquid nonaqueous detergent composition or within the aqueous wash liquor, fulfills such a need.
It is therefore an advantage of the invention to provide bleach precursors containing-detergent compositions which produce efficient rate of dissolution.
It is another advantage of the invention to provide compositions which enable the use of divalent or trivalent salts.
It is a further advantage of the invention to provide compositions with improved resistance to enzyme catalase.
It is another advantage of the invention to provide compositions which enable the use of a lower amount of peroxygen bleach.
Nonaqueous liquid detergent compositions containing bleach precursors are described in EP 540 090. This document does not disclose or suggest that using alcohol ethoxylated surfactants increases the rate of dissolution/perhydrolysis of bleach precursors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid nonaqueous detergent composition comprising an alcohol alkoxylate nonionic surfactant and a bleach precursor having a Krafft point of at least 10° C., said surfactant and said precursor being present in a molar ratio of nonionic surfactant to bleach precursor of at least 2:1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Alcohol Alkoxylated Nonionic Surfactant
An essential component of the invention is an alcohol alkoxylate nonionic surfactant. Such type of surfactant is believed to help to dissolve the hydrophobic bleach activator by forming mixed micelles, which also prevent to some extent the precipitation of the bleach activator in presence of hardness. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is also believed that comicellisation could also speed up perhydrolysis by making the precursor molecule more accessible to the hydrogen peroxide.
Said nonionic surfactant is typically present in a level form 5 to 50%, preferably 10 to 30%, most preferred from 15 to 25 % by weight of the total detergent composition.
Suitable alcohol alkoxylate nonionic surfactant class of compounds which may be broadly defined as compounds produced by the condensation of alkylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobic compound, which may be branched or linear aliphatic (e.g. Guerbet or secondary alcohols) or alkyl aromatic in nature. The length of the hydrophilic or polyoxyalkylene radical which is condensed with any particular hydrophobic group can be readily adjusted to yield a water-soluble compound having the desired degree of balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements.
Suitable exemplary classes of such alcohol alkoxylate nonionic surfactant are listed below:
1. The polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenols. In general, the polyethylene oxide condensates are preferred. These compounds include the condensation products of alkyl phenols having an alkyl group containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms in either a straight- or branched-chain configuration with the alkylene oxide. In a preferred embodiment, the ethylene oxide is present in an amount equal to from 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol. Commercially available nonionic surfactants of this type include Igepal™ CO-630, marketed by the GAF Corporation; and Triton™ X-45, X-114, X-100, and X-102, all marketed by the Rohm & Haas Company.
2. The condensation products of aliphatic alcohols with from 1 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide. The alkyl chain of the aliphatic alcohol can either be straight or branched, primary or secondary, and generally contains from 8 to 22 carbon atoms. Particularly preferred are the condensation products of alcohols having an alkyl group containing from 10 to 20 carbon atoms with from 2 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. Examples of commercially available nonionic surfactants of this type include Tergitol™ 15-S-9 (the condensation product of C
11
-C
15
linear alcohol with 9 moles ethylene oxide), Tergitol™ 24-L-6 NMW (the condensation product of C
12
-C
14
primary alcohol with 6 moles ethylene oxide with a narrow molecular weight distribution), both marketed by Union Carbide Corporation; Neodol™ 45-9 (the condensation product of C
14
-C
15
linear alcohol with 9 moles of ethylene oxide), Neodol™ 23-6.5 (the condensation product of C
12
-C
13
linear alcohol with 6.5 moles of ethylene oxide), Neodol™ 45-7 (the condensation product of C
14
-C
15
linear alcohol with 7 moles of ethylene oxide), Neodol™ 45-4 (the condensation product of C
14
-C
15
linear alcohol with 4 moles of ethylene oxide), marketed by Shell Chemical Company, and Kyro™ EOB (the condensation product of C
13
-C
15
alcohol with 9 moles ethylene oxide), marketed by The Procter & Gamble Company.
3. The condensation products of ethylene oxide with a hydrophobic base formed by the condensation of propylene oxide with propylene glycol. The hydrophobic portion of these compounds preferably has a molecular weight of from 1500 to 1800 and exhibits water insolubility. The addition of polyoxyethylene moieties to this hydrophobic portion tends to increase the water solubility of the molecule as a whole, and the liquid character of the product is retained up to the point where the polyoxyethylene content is 50% of the total weight of the condensation product, which corresponds to condensation with up to 40 moles of ethylene oxide. Examples of compounds of this type include certain of the commercially-available Pluronic™ surfactants, marketed by BASF.
4. The condensation products of ethyl
Boutique Jean-Pol
Coosemans Steven Jozef Louis
Johnston James Pyott
Meyer Axel
Garrett Dawn
Kelly Cynthia H.
Matthews Armina E.
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
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