AMINOMETHYLENEPHOSPHONATE COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: Granular akali metal aminomethylenephosphonate compositions having improved stability in the presence of peroxygen compounds comprise at least one alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate of the formula where each R is H, CH₂PO₃H₂ or CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂ where M is an alkali metal, but more than half, or an average of more half, of the R groups represent CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂, and n is 0 or an integer, preferably an integer of from 1 to 4, and (b) a water-insoluble support which is a silicate or aluminosilicate having a layered sheet structure, the compositions being substantially free of peroxygen compounds and peroxy compound precursors.

Description: This invention relates to stabilised aminomethylenephosphonate compositions in the form of powder or granules. Various aminomethylenephosphonic acids and their water-soluble salts are known materials having a variety of uses including stabilisation of peroxygen compounds and inhibition of scale in water-treatment processes. Certain of the aminomethylenephosphonic acids are stable solids, but for many applications, their alkali metal salts (in which some or all of the acidic hydrogen atoms of the phosphonic acid are replaced by alkali metal ions), are more suitable. Such alkali metal salts are not, in isolation, stable solids, being highly hygroscopic or deliquescent, and they are therefore sold as aqueous solutions. For certain uses, e.g. as components of detergent compositions, a powder or granular form of such salts would be advantageous. Such a form is provided by the present invention. The aminomethylenephosphonates are generally adversely affected by an oxidising environment, so that the presence in the compositions of the invention of materials which tends to generate such an environment is undesirable. A composition of the invention comprises, in powder or granular form, a mixture of (a) at least one alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate of the formula where each R is H, CH₂PO₃H₂ or CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂ where M is an alkali metal, but more than half, or an average of more half, of the R groups represent CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂, and n is 0 or an integer, preferably an integer of from 1 to 4, and (b) a water-insoluble support which is a silicate or aluminosilicate having a layered sheet structure, the compositions being substantially free of peroxygen compounds and peroxy compound precursors, characterised in that the proportions by dry weight of (a) to (b) are within the range 1:0.15 to 1:10. Preferred aminomethylenephosphonates for use in the compositions of the present invention are the alkali metal salts, especially sodium salts, of ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) and of diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonic acid), and mixtures thereof. The alkali metal salts can be made from the corresponding acids by neutralisation or partial neutralisation with alkali metal hydroxides. The commercially available aminomethylenephosphonic acids are usually mixtures having different numbers of (methylenephosphonic acid) groups. Thus the major components of sodium salts prepared from a commercial ethylenediaminepoly(methylenephosphonic acid) are compounds in which the four R groups in the above formula are all -CH₂PO₃Na₂ or CH₂PO₃HNa, but the compounds in which three or two R groups are -CH₂PO₃Na₂ or CH₂PO₃HNa, the other(s) being hydrogen or (as an impurity) -CH₃, are also present. Preferably at least 80% of the R groups in the mixture are -CH₂PO₃Na₂ or CH₂PO₃HNa groups. Similarly, in the diethylenetriamine derivatives, the penta(methylenephosphonate) usually accounts for from 60 to 80% of the total weight of the derivative, the remainder being mostly the tri(methylenephosphonate) with a small amount of the tetra(methylenephosphonate). Preferably at least 65% of the R groups in the mixture are -CH₂PO₃Na or CH₂PO₃HNa groups. The water-soluble silicate or aluminosilicate is preferably a clay, especially clay of the smectite or kaolinite type. The former alkali and alkaline earth metal montmorillonites, saponites and hectorites, and the latter include kaolinite itself, calcined kaolin and metakaolin. The water-insoluble silicate or aluminosilicate preferably has an original average particle size within the range 0.5 to 50 micrometres, but in the compositions of the invention, the particles are largely agglomerated. The compositions of the invention preferably contain no particles smaller than 50 micrometres or larger than 600 micrometeres; a preferred minimum mean particle size is 150 micrometres, with the optimum mean being in the range 400-500 micrometres. The proportions on a dry weight weight basis of components (a) and (b) in the compositions of the invention can, for example, range from 1:0.5 to 1:10, for instance from 1:1 to 1:10, a preferred range being from 1:1 to 1:4, for example from 1:1.5 to 1:4. It has been observed that the storage stability of the product improves as the ratio of clay to phosphonate increases, up to a certain ratio beyond which no significant further improvement occurs. This maximum effect ratio varies according to the particular clay being used, but is often found to be between 1:2 and 1:3. The compositions of the invention may contain additional ingredients, provided that such ingredients have no adverse effects on the use for which the compositions are intended. A principal use envisaged for the compositions of the invention is as components of detergent formulations. If desired, therefore, other ingedients conventionally included in such formulations (other than peroxygen compounds and peroxy compound precursors as indicated above) can be present in the compositions of the invention. These optional other ingredients include surfactants, particularly anionic and nonionic surfactants. Various inorganic alkali metal salts, for example carbonates, borates, phosphates, polyphosphates, metaphosphates and sulphates, oganic builders, for example nitrilotriacetates and polycarboxylates, and thickeners, for example, carboxymethylcellulose can also be present. The total amount of any such additional ingredients is preferably not greater than twice the amount of the silicate or aluminosilicate component. The compositions of the inventions are usually prepared by spray-drying a slurry of the components at a conventional spray-drying temperature, for example within the range 200-350°C, with conditions adjusted to give the required particle size and moisture content. The latter is desirably as low as possible. The moisture content tends to increase slowly on storage, so that typically a commercial composition may have a moisture content within the range 5-10 percent by weight. Examples Compositions of the invention were prepared by forming a slurry from the components shown below with, if necessary, sufficient water to give approximately 55% by weight of solids in the slurry. The slurry was then spray dried. China clay is described as a water-washed product, prepared from hydrothermally modified granite found in south-west England. It is mainly a hydrated aluminium silicate with the approximate formula Al₂O₃, 2SiO₂, 2H₂O, and mineralogically it is composed of kaolinite with minor amounts of micaceous minerals, felspar and quartz. Westone® and Bentonite® A.S. are smectite clays supplied by English China Clays. The spray-dried product contained the mixture of sodium aminomethylenephosphonates, clay and sodium sulphate in the approximate proportions by weight 1.3:2:1. The spray-dried product contained the sodium aminomethylenephosphonate, clay and sodium sulphate in the approximate proportions by weight 1.3:2:1. The spray-dried product contained the sodium aminomethylenephosphonate, clay and sodium sulphate in the approximate proportions by weight 1:3:2.1. Example 4 In four separate preparations, 12.5 g, 25 g, 50 g and 75 g respectively of Bentonite® A.S. were added to 100 g of a 33% by weight aqueous solution of the sodium salt of ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid), mainly with pentasodium salt. Each solution was diluted with distilled water to a total volume of 400 ml before spray drying. The samples obtained by spray drying had weight ratios of phosphonate (expressed as the equivalent of active acid) to clay of 1:0.5, 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 respectively. One part by weight of the sodium salt of ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid) is equivalent to approximately 0.65 parts by weight of active ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid). A detergent formulation having the following composition was prepared. To samples of the above formulation, there was added sufficient of the spray-dried clay/phosphonate compositions described above to provide 1% by weight, based on the total weight of the detergent formulation, of sodium ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonate) expressed as the equivalent active acid. To investigate the stability of the formulations thus prepared, samples were placed in 100 ml open jars and stored for 60 hours at 40°C and 80% relative humidity. The samples were then analysed for residual ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonate) using an ion chromatography technique. As control, a formulation containing spray-dried sodium ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonate) without clay, was employed. The following results were obtained. Residual phosphonate is expressed as a percentage of the phosphonate originally present before storage. The beneficial effect of the clay in stabilising the phosphonate is apparent. Example 5 Stability tests were carried out on detergent formulations as described in Example 4 with spray-dried compositions containing sodium ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonate) and clay in a weight ratio (the phosphonate being expressed as the equivalent of active acid) of 1:2. The samples were stored overnight at 50°C and 80% relative humidity. The following results were obtained The beneficial effect of the clay in stabilising the phosphonate is apparent.

Claims: A powder or granular composition (a) at least one alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate of the formula where each R is H, CH₂PO₃H₂ or CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂ where M is an alkali metal, but more than half, or an average of more half, of the R groups represent CH₂PO₃HM or CH₂PO₃M₂, and n is 0 or an integer, preferably an integer of from 1 to 4, and (b) a water-insoluble support which is a silicate or aluminosilicate having a layered sheet structure, the composition being substantially free of peroxygen compounds and peroxy compound precursors, characterised in that the proportions by dry weight of (a) to (b) are withthe range 1:0.5 to 1:10. A composition according to Claim 1 in which the alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate is a sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetra (methylenephosphonic acid), a sodium salt ofdiethylenetriaminepenta (methylenephosphonic acid) or a mixture thereof. A composition according to either of Claims 1 and 2 in which the water-insoluble support is a kaolinite or smectite clay. A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 3 in which the proportion by dry weight of the alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate to the water-insoluble support is in the range 1:1 to 1:4. A composition according to Claim 4 in which the proportion by dry weight of the alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate to the water-insoluble support is in the range 1:1.5 to 1:4. A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 5 having substantially no particles smaller than 50 micrometres or larger than 600 micrometres and a mean particle size of at least 150 micrometres. A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 6 which contains an inorganic alkali metal salt as a further component. A composition according to Claim 7 in which the inorganic metal salt is sodium sulphate. A process for the production of a composition as defined in Claim 1, which comprises forming a slurry of the water-insoluble support (a)in an aqueous solution of the alkali metal aminomethylenephosphonate(s) (b), so that the proportions by dry weight of (a) to (b) are within the range 1:0.5 to 1:10, and spray drying the slurry.

Inventors: MAY, BRONISLAV HENRI, NIJS, HUBERT HENDRIK, VANDENBULCKE, BRIGITTE MARIE JUDITH
Applicants: MONSANTO EUROPE S.A.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C11D3
IPC codes: C02F5, C11D3