Patent GB-749857-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to soap powders
Inventor: COCKS LESLIE VICTOR
IPC: C11D9/02
Filed: 1953-09-14
Abstract: Salts of N-monoalkyl-b -alanines are obtained by adding methyl acrylate to a mixture of primary amines obtainable from the acids of coconut oil or palm-kernel oil, and running the mixture into a solution of caustic soda.  Amino acids or their salts of the formula R1R2NRCOOM, where R is a chain of 3-5 methylene groups, R1 is an aliphatic radical of 10-20 carbon atoms, R2 is hydrogen and M is hydrogen, sodium or potassium, are prepared by a process wherein (a) a fatty amine is condensed with a lactone to form a hydroxyamide, (b) the latter is caused to undergo ring-formation by the action of heat, and (c) the cyclic compound so obtained is treated with strong acid or strong alkali.  In an example, dodecylamine and g -butyrolactone are heated to yield N - dodecyl - g  - hydroxybutyramide, which is further heated to yield N-dodecylpyrrolidone, which in turn is boiled with caustic soda solution to yield, after neutralization and extraction with ether, N-dodecyl-g -aminobutyric acid.ALSO:Soap powders contain (1) sodium or potassium carbonate, (2) disodium or dipotassium orthophosphate and (3) a nonsoapy anionic or non-ionic surface-active agent, all these three ingredients being in such a condition that, when the powder is added to water, they dissolve to a substantial degree before an appreciable amount of soap has dissolved.  Loss of soap by reaction with the hardness constituents of the water is thus reduced.  The desired preferential solubility of the phosphate and the surface-active agent may be achieved by (1) mixing the powdered phosphate and surface-active agent with the powdered soap, regard being had to the relative particle sizes of the materials, or (2) coating the soap particles with the phosphate and the surface-active agent.  The same methods may also be applied with the carbonate, but in this case preferential solubility is also attainable by spray-drying or spray-cooling a mixture of molten soap and carbonate.  The soaps may be derived from long-chain fatty acids or resin acids.  Specified surface-active agents are (1) condensation products of p-tert.-octylphenol with ethylene oxide, (2) salts of substituted taurines, e.g. sodium N-oleoyl-N-methyltaurine, (3) salts of esters of sulphosuccinic acid, e.g. sodium dioctyl sulphosuccinate, (4) salts of sulphated monoglycerides, e.g. of sulphated lauric acid monoglyceride, (5) monoglycerides, e.g. lauric acid monoglyceride, (6) salts of fatty acid esters, e.g. the oleic acid ester, of isethionic acid, (7) salts of sulphated fatty alcohols of 10-20 carbon atoms, e.g. sperm-oil alcohols, palm-kernel oil alcohols or oleyl alcohol, (8) salts of fatty acid esters, e.g. the lauric acid ester, of sulphoacetic acid ethanolamide, and (9) aminoacids or their salts of the formula R1R2NRCOOM, where R is a hydrocarbon radical of 1-5 carbon atoms, R1 is an aliphatic or aliphatic-monocyclic radical of 10-20 carbon atoms, R2 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon radical of not more than 4 carbon atoms, and M is hydrogen, sodium or potassium, specified compounds of this formula being N-monoalkylglycines, e.g. N-dodecylglycine, N-monoalkyl-beta-alanines, e.g. those in which the alkyl groups are derived from coconut oil, N-dodecyl- or N-hexadecyl-gamma-aminobutyric or -delta-aminovaleric acid, and N-dodecyl-alpha-aminopropionic acid; methods of preparing some of these aminoacids are described (see Group IV(b)).  The compositions may also contain sodium silicate.  Examples of suitable compositions are given.