Improvements in Soap Powders.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFTIGATION,
Improvements in Soap Powders.
I GEORGE PAYNE CLARKE of 35 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
Ammonia, as is well known, is an excellent cleanser, but owing to its extremely
volatile character, it has never been successfully incorporated with soap powders, soap,
and other cleansing compounds.
Now the object of this invention is to incorporate ammonia with washing powders
in such a way that advantage may be taken of its cleansing properties.
In carrying out this invention, a neutral salt of ammonia, such as the sulphate, is
employed in the form of small crystals or fragments, say, about the size of hemp seed.
These crystals are coated with a substance which will resist the chemical action of the
alkali contained in the soap powder, but will be subject to the action of water.
A substance which has been found suitable for the purpose of coating the ammonia
crystals, is the finest quality of castor sugar, and the operation of coating is performed
in the same way as is adopted by confectioners in the production of
comfits," the crystals taking the place of the carraway seeds.
carraway
The coated crystals are carefully mixed with the soap powder in any desired
proportion, but about 10 per cent. will be found sufficient for ordinary purposes.
The soap powders employed may be the ordinary soap powders of commerce, which
generally contain an excess of alkali.
The alkali employed most usually in these powders, is carbonate of soda, and when
the powder containing the ammonia is introduced into the water, the coating of the
crystals is washed off, and a cross chemical action is set up, the carbonic acid of the
soda combining with the ammonia, producing carbonate of ammonia, which is a
powerful detergent, and the sulphuric acid of the sulphate combines with the soda.
The ammonia in this preparation is inert, or "fixed," until chemical action (induced
by the water) takes place, when, as before stated, the ammonia is set free.
By the above described combination of ammonia with washing powder, a most
useful and convenient washing preparation is produced, especially suitable for
revivifying colors.
It may be here remarked that other inert salts of ammonia besides the sulphate,
may be employed for the purpose of this invention, such as nitrate or chloride, but the
sulphate is the most convenient to uso for various reasons.
In some cases, especially when the powder is intended for use in damp climates, it
will be found desirable, in order to provide against the influence of the damp on the
coating material, to cover the coated crystals, before they are mixed with the soap
powder, with some fatty substance, such as oil, melted fat, paraffin scale, wax, or
similar body, which will resist the action of damp, but will be acted upon by water,
when hot, or in large quantities.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a soap powder, of an inert salt of ammonia, which has
been previously protected from the action of the alkali of the soap powder by a coating
of some suitable material, such as sugar, capable of being removed by the action of
the water in which the soap powder is used, as set forth.
2. The process of preparing an inert ammonia salt for use in the production of a

page_text: washing compound, and consisting of coating the crystals of ammonia salt with a
material which will resist the action of alkali, but be capable of being removed by the
action of water, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 5th day of September 1890.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.