Patent ID: 8507425

Claim:
A particulate fabric softening composition, comprising one or more ethylenediamine fatty acid diamides and one or more quaternary ammonium salt fabric softeners, the composition having an exothermal transition at a temperature between 60 and 90° C. with an exothermal transition enthalpy of more than 5 J/g measured by DSC at a heating rate of 2° C./min; wherein said quaternary ammonium salt fabric softeners are selected from the group consisting of compounds of formulae (I)-(V): (I) R 1 4-m N + [(CH 2 ) n -Q—R 2 ] m X − (I) (II) R 1 N + [CH 2 CHR 4 OH][CH 2 CHR 4 OC(O)R 2 ] 2 X − (II) (III) R 1 2 N + [CH 2 CHR 4 OC(O)R 2 ] 2 X − (III) (IV) R 1 N + [CH 2 CHR 4 OH][CH 2 CH 2 NHC(O)R 2 ] 2 X − (IV) (V) [R 2 —C(O)NHCH 2 CH 2 ] 2 N + R 1 [CH 2 CH 2 OH]X − (V) wherein: when said quaternary ammonium salt fabric softeners are compounds of formula I: each R 1 is independently C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 hydroxyalkyl or benzyl; R 2 is independently hydrogen, C 11 -C 21 linear alkyl, C 11 -C 21 branched alkyl, C 11 -C 21 linear alkenyl or C 11 -C 21 branched alkenyl, with the proviso that at least one of R 2 is not hydrogen; Q is independently selected from the units having the formula —O—C(O)—, —C(O)O—, —NR 3 —C(O)—, —C(O)—NR 3 —, —O—C(O)—O—, —CHR 4 —O—C(O)— or —CH(OCOR 2 )—CH 2 —O—C(O), wherein R 3 is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl and R 4 is hydrogen or methyl; m is from 1 to 4; n is from 1 to 4; and X − is a softener compatible anion; and when said quaternary ammonium salt fabric softeners are selected from the group consisting of compounds of formulae (II)-(V): each R 1 is independently C 1 —C 6 alkyl, C 1 —C 6 hydroxyalkyl or benzyl; R 2 is independently C 11 —C 21 linear alkyl, C 11 —C 21 branched alkyl, C 11 —C 21 linear alkenyl or C 11 —C 21 branched alkenyl; R 4 is hydrogen or methyl; and X − is softener compatible anion.