Patent GB-452508-A (GB)
Title: A process of manufacturing washing, cleansing, wetting and emulsifying agents and treatment baths containing the same
IPC: C07F9/10
Filed: 1935-01-23
Abstract: Wetting, washing, and emulsifying agents are prepared by esterifying at least one hydroxy group of a polybasic phosphorus or boron acid with an aliphatic alcohol containing eight or more carbon atoms and at least one hydroxy group with a polyhydric alcohol not containing more than six carbon atoms in the molecule. For the esterification, the phosphorus and boron acids themselves may be used or their oxides, halides or oxyhalides.  The products may be sulphonated and the steps of esterification with the lower polyhydric alcohol and with the phosphorus or boron acid may be repeated.  The non-sulphonated products improve the cleansing and emulsifying properties of soaps, sulphonic acids and sulphuric esters of higher alcohols and fatty acids.  The products may also be treated with agents containing active oxygen, e.g. sodium peroxide or perborate or hydrogen peroxide whereby bleaching agents are obtained.  In modifications, use is made of mixtures of higher alcohols and fatty acids as starting materials and the latter are treated first with halides, oxides, oxyhalides or acids of phosphorus or of boron and then with a polyhydric lower alcohol and are finally sulphonated or alternatively the starting materials are treated successively with (a) a polyhydric lower alcohol (b) a halide, oxide, oxyhalide or acid of phosphorus or boron, (c) a polyhydric lower alcohol and (d) a sulphonating agent.  In examples: (1) cetyl alcohol and glycol are used for the esterification of a polybasic phosphorus or boron acid; phosphorus trioxide, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus trichloride or phosphorus pentachloride may be used in place of the phosphorus acid; the hydrochloric acid, when liberated being neutralized with magnesium oxide or carbonate, calcium carbonate or zinc oxide; (2) boric acid is esterified first with lauryl alcohol and then with glycol; the product is sulphonated and may be treated with sodium borate; (3) the monoglycol ester of oleic acid is esterified by means of phosphorus pentachloride, and the product heated with anhydrous glycol and sulphonated; (4) wool fat is saponified, treated with phosphorus trichloride and, after neutralization converted into the glycerol ester by means of monochlorhydrin; the product is finally sulphonated; (5) the fatty acid-alcohol mixture obtained by saponifying spermaceti and decomposing the soap with acid is treated with boric acid and glycol and then sulphonated; (6) spermaceti is saponified and treated with glycolchlorhydrin; the resulting ester alcohol mixture is treated successively with phosphorus trichloride, anhydrous glycerol and a sulphonating agent; (7) lauryl alcohol is heated with phosphorus pentoxide, and ethylene oxide is introduced into the product.  The use of propanediol, pentanediol, erythritol and alcohols obtained by the reduction of sugar is mentioned as polyhydric lower alcohols. When the products contain hydroxy groups at the end of two aliphatic residues ring compounds may be formed by loss of water.  The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 comprises also a further example in which a product obtained from saponified spermaceti, phosphorus trichloride and anhydrous glycol is sulphonated.  This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.ALSO:Emulsifying and cleansing agents are prepared by esterifying at least one hydroxy group of a polybasic phosphorus or boron acid with an aliphatic alcohol containing eight or more carbon atoms and at least one with a polyhydric alcohol not containing more than six carbon-atoms.  The products may be sulphonated and the steps of esterification with the lower polyhydric alcohol and with the phosphorus or boron acid may be repeated.  The non-sulphonated products improve the cleansing and emulsifying properties of soaps, sulphonic acids and sulphuric acid esters of higher alcohols and fatty acids.  The products may also be treated with agents containing active oxygen, e.g. hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate or peroxide.  In modifications using mixtures of higher alcohols and fatty acids as starting materials, the latter are treated first with a halide, oxide, oxy halide or acid of phosphorus or boron and then with a polyhydric lower alcohol, and are finally sulphonated, or alternatively the starting materials are treated successively with (a) a polyhydric lower alcohol; (b) a halide, oxide, oxyhalide or acid of phosphorus or boron; (c) a polyhydric lower alcohol; and (d) a sulphonating agent.  In examples, higher alcohols such as cetyl and lauryl alcohol and polyhydric lower alcohols such as glycerol or glycol are esterified with boric acid or with phosphorus penta oxide or chloride or phosphorus trioxide or chloride.  A mixture of alcohol and fatty acid obtained by saponifying spermaceti or wool fat and acidifying may be used as starting material.  Propanediol, pentanediol, erythritol and alcohols obtained by reducing sugars are also specified as lower polyhydric alcohols.