Patent ID: 7160849

Claim:
A detergent composition comprising: at least 0.1% by weight of at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of 1) a polycarboxylic acid-based polymer containing a polyalkylene glycol chain in the structure thereof and 2) a sulfonic acid group-terminated (meth)acrylic acid-based polymer, and at least 0.5% by weight of a longer alkyl chain mid-chain branched surfactant compound represented by the following formula: R—X—Y wherein: (a) R is a hydrophobic C9 to C22, as total carbons in the moiety, mid-chain branched alkyl moiety having: (1) a longest linear carbon chain attached to the —X—Y moiety in the range of from 8 to 21 carbon atoms; (2) one or more C 1 –C 3 alkyl moieties branching from this longest linear carbon chain; (3) at least one of the branching alkyl moieties is attached directly to a carbon of the longest linear carbon chain at a position within the range of position 2 carbon (counting from carbon 1 which is attached to the —X—Y moiety) to position ω−2 carbon (the terminal carbon minus 2 carbons); and (4) the surfactant composition has an average total number of carbon atoms in the R—X moiety in the above formula within the range of greater than 14 to 18; (b) Y is a hydrophilic moiety selected from sulfates, sulfonates, amine oxides, and polyoxyalkylenes; and (c) X is selected from —CH 2 — and —C(O)—.