GB808805A - Improvements in aqueous detergent compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

An aqueous detergent composition comprises: (a) an alkylaryl sulphonate, or an alkyl sulphated detergent, or a mixture of both, and (b) a polyoxyalkylene ether, preferably a polyoxyethylene ether having 7-21 oxyethylene groups in the molecule, of an aliphatic alcohol containing 8-16 carbon atoms in the aliphatic chain. Component (a) is present generally in an amount 1-20 times that of (b) by weight, and the total concentration of detergent material in solution is generally 5-60 per cent by weight. Component (a) may be (i) an alkylaryl sulphonate derived from benzene, toluene, xylene, cumene, naphthalene, phenol or cresol, and may have one or more straight- or branched-chain alkyl substituent groups and one or more sulphonic groups in the molecule (dodecylbenzene sulphonate is preferred), or (ii) an alkyl sulphate ester such as lauryl or tallow alcohol sulphate, or, more preferably, a sulphated alkyl, or alkylphenol, ether of polyethylene glycol; in all cases the compound may be present as the alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, amine, or, more preferably, the sodium or ammonium salt. Component (b) is preferably the condensate of ethylene oxide with decyl, lauryl or myristyl alcohol. The aqueous solution in which the ingredients are dissolved usually contains a lower alcohol, preferably 5-60 per cent of ethanol. Specification 641,297 and U.S.A. Specifications 1,970,578 and 2,203,883 are referred to.