Patent GB-754432-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to dry-saponified soaps
Inventor: CAMPBELL SYDNEY GLENROY
IPC: C11D9/26
Filed: 1952-10-10
Abstract: A single-step, dry process for producing soap comprises heating a mixture containing a fatty acid and a fatty alcohol, free or combined with one another, both the acid and the alcohol containing at least 14 carbon atoms, and an amount of solid anhydrous caustic alkali slightly in excess of that required to react with the free or combined fatty acid, to a temperature not appreciably in excess of 500 DEG F., the mixture being stirred continuously until saponification of the fatty acid is completed, the fatty alcohol remaining substantially unchanged. The mixture may also contain mineral oi.  A mixture containing a fatty acid, shark oil and/or sperm oil which contains fatty alcohol and a mineral oil may be saponified with anhydrous caustic soda, or a mixture of sperm oil and shark oil may be similarly saponified.  Separately prepared fatty alcohols having straight or branched chains, e.g. cetyl, oleyl or stearyl alcohol, may be added to the saponification mixture.  Such alcohols may be saturated or unsaturated, or unsaturated alcohols which have been hydrogenated.  Sperm oil or shark oil used in the process may also be hydrogenated.  A small proportion of the fatty alcohol in the saponification mixture may be converted into soap, with liberation of hydrogen, whereby the colour of the soap is improved.  The crude soap may be boiled with an aqueous solution of a mineral acid to obtain a fatty acid mixture which may be used to neutralize excess alkali in the crude soap produced in another batch. A pure anhydrous soap may be obtained by extraction with ethylene dichloride, acetone, isopropyl alcohol or mixtures thereof.  The crude soap may be emulsified with oil, grease or wax and rubber latex.  An emulsion of the soap with a sulphurized oil may provide a lubricant for working metals.  A barium soap may be obtained by using barium hydroxide as the caustic alkali and may be extracted with cold isopropyl alcohol, dissolved in hot mineral oil and treated with water to obtain a lubricating grease. A pure lime-soap lubricating grease may be obtained by double decomposition by boiling an extracted soap containing a small proportion of cetyl alcohol in water in the presence of mineral oil with a slight excess of calcium chloride.  The Provisional Specification refers to Specification 470,715.ALSO:A crude soap produced by a single-step dry process (see Group III) may be emulsified with oil, grease or wax and rubber latex, and a printing ink may be obtained by incorporating carbon black into such an emulsion.  Leather may be impregnated with a soap-rubber latex emulsion and immersed or drummed with a metallic salt solution to produce an insoluble soap, e.g. a lime soap, in situ, or the crude soap may be treated with mineral acids and then with ammonia to form an ammonium soap which is applied to leather in emulsion with rubber-latex and the leather is then heated to decompose the emulsion, the fatty acids so liberated acting with the rubber as a tanning agent.  The leather may be treated to "cure" the rubber.  Cloth may be treated with an emulsion of the soap with rubber latex and, after removing surplus emulsion, may be treated with aluminium acetate to obtain a waterproof effect.  A metallic salt, e.g. calcium nitrate, may be added to a soap-rubber latex emulsion to obtain an intimate mixture of rubber and metallic soap which may be converted into films which, after washing and heating, may provide waterproof wrapping material.  Such a composition for wrapping purposes may comprise sodium benzoate as a vapour phase inhibitor.  The Provisional Specification refers to Specification 470,715 [Group III].