Patent GB-645129-A (GB)
Title: Detergents
IPC: C09K23/00
Filed: 1947-04-16
Abstract: Detergents are prepared by polymerizing propylene to yield a liquid mixture of acyclic olefines containing C12 and C15 propylene polymers, separating from this mixture a fraction boiling substantially within the range 300 DEG  to 600 DEG  F. and having an R factor (as defined below) greater than one, condensing said fraction with an aromatic hydrocarbon, recovering an aryl alkane fraction boiling substantially within the range 350-650 DEG  F., sulphonating said fraction, and neutralizing the sulphonated mixture. The R factor is defined as the ratio of the corrected optical densities of the polypropylene fraction at 10.35 mu and 11.25 mu respectively, the optical densities having been corrected to a molecular weight of 100 and a specific gravity of 1.  The aromatic hydrocarbon may be benzene, toluene, or xylene, the alkylation catalyst may be hydrogen fluoride, aluminium chloride or sulphuric acid, and certain preferred boiling ranges for the polypropylene and arylalkane fractions within those quoted above are specified.  The sulphonation is preferably effected below 140 DEG  F., and neutralization with caustic alkali below 130 DEG  F.  Preferably also, neutralization is effected so that a pumpable mixture is obtained containing 35 to 50 per cent solids consisting of salts of the sulphonic acids and sodium sulphate, the weight of the latter being 50-70 per cent of the weight of the sulphonates, which mixture can be spray-dried to give hollow globular particles of 20 to 40 mesh.  The propylene feed stock may contain low molecular weight saturated hydrocarbons.  Sulphonating agents specified are fuming sulphuric acid and chlorsulphonic acid. Ingredients which may be mixed with the sulphonates include sodium sulphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium silicate, trisodium phosphate, magnesium salts, and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt.  Conventional arrangements of apparatus comprising polymerization and reaction chambers, fractionating columns, storage tanks, pumps, &c., for the operations of the invention and for the recovery of unreacted starting materials are described. Examples are given of the polymerization of a propylene feed stock, and condensation of a fraction thereof with benzene in presence of hydrofluoric acid.  Before sulphonation, the phenyl alkane may be extracted with a selective solvent, e.g. sulphuric acid, to remove coloured bodies and unstable compounds likely to form coloured bodies.  Numerous tests of the detergent and wetting properties of the sulphonates are given and also examples of their use with soaps and certain inorganic salts and wetting agents in washing fabrics, in cleansing, parasiticidal, scouring, and sizing compositions and emulsions, and with carnauba wax in polishing compositions, and in dispersing pigments, e.g. p  lamp-black (see Groups III, IV (c) and VI).  They may be used in conjunction with other wetting agents, e.g primary and secondary alkyl sulphates, sulphated glycerol esters, aliphatic sulphonates, sulphonated esters or amides of fatty acids, sulphonated or sulphated polyglycol ethers of alkyl phenols, mixtures of sulphonated compounds obtained by addition of nitrosyl chloride to an olefine followed by reaction with sodium sulphite, alkyl sulphoacetates, salts of alkenyl succinic acids or their esters, polyglycol ethers of alkyl phenols, polyglycol esters of fatty acids, alkyl polyglycol ethers, polyglycol derivatives of alkylamines, condensation products of 1.3-dioxolane (glycol formal) and fatty acids, glycerol and glycol esters of fatty acids, alkyl polyalkylene polyamines.ALSO:Cleaning and polishing compositions comprise as a novel ingredient a detergent prepared by polymerizing propylene to yield a liquid mixture of acyclic olefines containing C12 and C15 propylene polymers, separating from this mixture a fraction boiling substantially within the range 300 DEG  to 600 DEG  F. and having an R factor (as defined below) greater than one, condensing said fraction with an aromatic hydrocarbon (e.g. benzene in presence of hydrofluoric acid as catalyst), recovering an aryl alkane fraction boiling substantially within the range 350-650 DEG  F., sulphonating said fraction, and neutralizing the sulphonated mixture.  The R factor is defined as the ratio of the corrected optical densities of the polypropylene fraction at 10.35 mu. and 11.25 mu. respectively, the optical densities having been corrected to a molecular weight of 100 and a specific gravity of 1 (see Group VI (b)).  The neutralization is preferably effected so that the product contains a weight of sodium sulphate which is 50-70 per cent of the weight of the sulphonates, and the neutralized solution is spray dried to give hollow globular particles of 20 to 40 mesh.  The product may be mixed with the following: (1) water only, to give a cleaner for painted surfaces, (2) water, sodium chloride, and sodium ash to give a laundering composition; (3) water and lauryl alcohol for cleansing wool, cotton or the like; (4) water and sodium chloride, carbonate or bi-sulphate or ammonium chloride for scouring any fibrous substance; (5) water and soda ash for scouring wool; (6) water, cetyl sodium sulphate, and di-isopropylene naphthalene sodium sulphonate for cleaning cotton, silk, wool or rayon; (7) water and carnauba wax to give an emulsion for polishing furniture, leather and polished surfaces generally; (8) ordinary soap to inhibit precipitation from hard water; (9) sodium palmitate or other fatty acid soaps, after removing the inorganic salts present in the detergent, to give a cleansing composition; (10) an alkyl sulphonate detergent obtained by chlorsulphonation of long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons; (11) isopropyl alcohol and mineral oil, to give a composition suitable for textile oiling or parasiticidal purposes; (12) tert.-amylphenol; (13) sodium hypochlorate solution for the cleansing and bleaching of cotton; (14) magnesium sulphate and sulphonated phenyl polypropylene alkane to give a composition for the sizing of cotton; (15) lampblack and water to give a dispersion of the lampblack.  The detergents may be used in combination or mixed with other wetting agents such as primary and secondary alkyl sulphates, sulphated glycerol esters, aliphatic sulphonates, sulphonated esters or amides of fatty acids, sulphonated or sulphated polyglycol ethers of alkyl phenols, mixtures of sulphonated compounds obtained by addition of nitrosyl chloride to an olefine followed by reaction with sodium sulphite, alkyl sulphoacetates, salts of alkenyl succinic acids or their esters, polyglycol ethers of alkyl phenols, polyglycol esters of fatty acids, alkyl polyglycol ethers, polyglycol derivatives of alkylamines, condensation products of 1.3-dioxolane (glycol formal) and fatty acids, glycerol and glycol esters of fatty acids, alkyl polyalkylene polyamines.  Ingredients which may be mixed with the sulphonates include sodium sulphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium silicate, trisodium phosphate, magnesium salts, and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt.ALSO:Cleansing and polishing compositions comprise as a novel ingredient a detergent prepared by polymerizing propylene to yield a liquid mixture of acyclic olefines containing C12 and C15 propylene polymers, separating from this mixture a fraction boiling within the range 300 DEG  to 600 DEG  F. and having an R factor (as defined below) greater than one, condensing said fraction with an aromatic hydrocarbon (e.g. benzene in presence of hydrofluoric acid as catalyst), recovering an aryl alkane fraction boiling within the range 350-650 DEG  F., sulphonating said fraction, and neutralizing the sulphonated mixture. The R factor is defined as the ratio of the corrected optical densities of the polypropylene fraction at 10.35 mu. and 11.25 mu. respectively, the optical densities having been corrected to a molecular weight of 100 and a specific gravity of 1 (see Group IV (b)).  The neutralization is preferably effected so that the product contains a weight of sodium sulphate which is 50-70 per cent of the weight of the sulphonates, and the neutralized solution is spray dried to give hollow globular particles of 20 to 40 mesh.  The product may be mixed with the following: (1) water only, to give a cleaner for painted surfaces; (2) water, sodium chloride, and soda ash to give a laundering composition; (3) water and lauryl alcohol, for cleansing wool, cotton or the like; (4) water and sodium chloride, carbonate, or bisulphate or ammonium chloride, to give a scouring composition; (5) water and soda ash for scouring wool; (6) water, cetyl sodium sulphate, and diisopropyl naphthalene sodium sulphonate for cleaning cotton, silk, wool, or rayon; (7) water and carnauba wax to give an emulsion for polishing furniture, leather and polished surfaces generally; (8) ordinary soap to inhibit precipitation from hard water; (9) sodium palmitate or other fatty acid soaps, after removing the inorganic salts present in the detergent to give a cleansing composition; (10) an alkyl sulphonate detergent obtained by chlorsulphonation of long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons; (11) isopropyl alcohol and mineral oil, to give a composition suitable for textile oiling or parasiticidal purposes; (12) p-tert-amyl phenol; (13) sodium hypochlorite solution for the cleansing and bleaching of cotton; (14) magnesium sulphate, to give a composition for the sizing of cotton; (15) lampblack and water to give a dispersion of the lampblack.  The detergents may be used in combination or mixed with other wetting agents such as primary and secondary alkyl sulphates, sulphated glycerol esters, aliphatic sulphonates, sulphonated esters or amides of fatty acids, sulphonated or sulphated polyglycol ethers of alkyl phenols, mixtures of sulphonated compounds obtained by addition of nitrosyl chloride to an olefine followed by reaction with sodium sulphite, alkyl sulphoacet