GB870458A - Detergent compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

A detergent composition comprises (a) 60-90%, preferably 67-85%, of an organic sulphonate or sulphate detergent or a mixture thereof, (b) 5-30%, preferably 10-23%, of one or more alkylene oxide-phenol condensates and (c) 5-30%, preferably 10-23%, of one or more alkylene oxide-alcohol condensates, all percentages being by weight of total active detergent. Component (a) may be any of the common sulphonate or sulphate detergents in the form of the sodium, potassium, ammonium or substituted ammonium, e.g. alkanolamine, salt, but is preferably a mixture of sodium alkylbenzene sulphonates having 8-13 carbon atoms in the alkyl group. Any alkylene oxide may be present in (b) and (c), but it is preferred to use ethylene or 1:2-propylene oxide; any of the butylene oxides may, however, also be used. The proportions of alkylene oxide are generally 4-40, but normally 6-25, moles of oxide per mole of phenol or alcohol. The phenol in (b) may be phenol itself, a cresol, resorcinol or a dialkyl phenol, but is most desirably an alkyl phenol having 4-10 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, particularly octylphenol. The alcohol in (c) is suitably a monohydric primary, secondary or tertiary alcohol of 6-20 carbon atoms; aliphatic alcohols are preferred, but such alcohols as the alkylbenzyl alcohols may also be used. Particularly suitable, however, are the condensates of ethylene oxide with oleyl and cetyl alcohols. Component (b) or (c), or both, may also be mixed condensates obtained either by randomly condensing the phenol or alcohol with a mixture of ethylene and 1:2-propylene oxides, or a block copolymer obtained by condensing a phenol or alcohol containing up to 20 carbon atoms alternately with ethylene and 1:2-propylene oxides, the weight ratio of the former to the latter being 10:90 to 90:10, so that any block of polymerized ethylene oxide, together with either adjacent block of polymerized 1:2-propylene oxide, comprises less than about 10% of the average molecular weight of the compound. The composition usually contains 5-30% by weight of urea, which reduces the cloud point. Alkali metal phosphates and polyphosphates, sodium silicate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose may also be incorporated, and the compositions are generally produced as aqueous solutions containing 20-60% by weight of the composition. Specifications 645,129, 870,457 and U.S.A. Specifications 2,152,297, 2,263,312, 2,276,090, 2,340,654, 2,467,130, 2,467,131 and 2,467,132 are referred to.